7+ Ways to Write More Effective Email slideshow for participants

© Solutions for Success 2017 www.steuartsnooks.com.au
Presented by Steuart Snooks
Australia’s leading Email Productivity Expert

Overloaded / Overwhelmed
Context
Concepts
Content
Write clear, concise,
actionable email
7+ Ways to Write
More Effective Email
Session Agenda
The impact of email

7+ Ways to Write More Effective E-mail
1: Think first – is e-mail the best way for this message/person
2: The Challenge of Communicating in the Age of Speed
3: What is Your Desired Outcome?
4: How to Write Better Subject Lines
5: Automate Your Follow up
6: Why the Inverted Pyramid Structure works best
7: Why You Should Write an E-mail Backwards
8: Use Delay Delivery for Your Emails

Overloaded / Overwhelmed
Context
Concepts
Content
The impact of email
Write clear, concise,
actionable email
7+ Ways to Write
More Effective Email
Session Agenda

The Impact of
Email

© Solutions for Success 2017 www.steuartsnooks.com.au© Solutions for Success 2017 www.steuartsnooks.com.au
E-mail is THE leading cause
of preventable productivity
loss in organisations today
Forbes Magazine
”
“

e-Mastery
Model

Struggle to
keep up

e-Mastery
Model
Where are
you now?

e-Mastery
Model
Where
would you
like to be?

e-Mastery
Model
The WWW of
Mastering Your
E-mail
Paradigm shift in working
orientation from inbox to
calendar
7+ Ways to Write More
Effective Email
How to write clear, concise and
actionable email that gets results
The Science of Writing
Customer-focused E-mail
How to create agreement, rapport and
influence when using email

Our challenge is;
 to get attention
 engage interest
 stimulate an action or response . . .
in less than two seconds!
The Challenge of Email Communication

5.29
4.75
4.72
4.41
4.37
3.89
3.89
3.64
3.59
3.49
3.43
3.39
3.33
3.03
3.02
2.88
2.81
1 Getting no response to your e-mail (or the response is too slow)
2 People trying to resolve complex issues via e-mail
3
E-mail interruptions when you’re working on other, higher priority
tasks
4
Procrastinators who wait till last minute to request something from
you (when they’ve had ample time) then they say it’s not their fault …
5 Subject lines that are unclear or don’t match the message
6
People who ‘CC’ you (and everybody else just to “cover their butt”
(CYA) – whether you needed to know or not.
7
Needless, one-line responses to your message, like “‘thanks”, “OK”,
“you’re welcome” etc
8
Others replying to your message without including the previous
message (so that you can’t remember what the original issue is)
9`
People who call you instead of checking their e-mail when you’ve
already sent the information they needed/requested
10 Bad grammar, spelling and punctuation
11 People who use Read Receipt on everything they send you
12
People who send last minute meeting cancellations by e-mail which
you don’t get till AFTER you’ve arrived for the meeting
13 Too many attachments or attachments that are too big
14
Auto-responders that don’t mean anything eg: “Thanks for your
message. I will respond as soon as I can”
15
Attachments that come without any explanation in the body of the
message, so you don’t know what they are about
16
People who send non-work related messages that clutter up your in-
box and distract you from your work
17 People using abbreviations, shortcuts and ‘jargon’ such as 4U, Gr8 etc
e-Productivity Benchmarking Audit

Onus is on the sender

eProductivity Benchmarking Survey
Sender can influence

2
1
7
6
5
4
3
8
What is Your
Desired
Outcome?
Write Better
Subject
Lines
Automate
Follow Ups
Inverted
Pyramid
Structure
Write Email
Backwards
Challenges
in the Age of
Speed
Think
first
Use
Delay
Delivery

Strategy #1:
Think First

What sort of
messages are
not appropriate
to be sent via
email?
1: Think first – is e-mail the best way?

• Confidential or private messages
• Offensive, abusive etc.
• When delivering bad news
• Complex issues
• Delicate negotiation
• Performance review, discipline or reprimands
• Urgent messages
• Meeting requests
• Gossip/rumours
• Closing a sale

Which medium to use for our response?
Email
IM
Phone
F’book
Linked
Email
IM
Phone
F’book
Linked

Which medium to use for our response?
Email Email
IM
Phone
F’book
Linked

Email better than
IM when
Text needs to be memorialised
(ie: kept/ archived for future
reference)
Contains announcement
sent to many people
IM better than
email when
Issue demands immediate
response (ie: ‘urgent’ AND
important)
Issue is relatively
trivial (eg: lunch plans)
IM better than
phone when
Multiple participants talking
When confidentiality is
important but participant(s)
can be overheard
Numerous many-to-many
conversations are taking place
Email vs IM vs Phone
Phone better than
IM when
Many people participating
passively and only one person
speaking
A more personal touch is
required and nuances of voice
make a difference

Communication/task/activity Best choice of medium
Arranging a meeting Calendar invite (not email ping pong) for internal: Email or share calendar for external
Delegate simple task Email
Delegate complex task Meeting backed up by email
Delicate negotiation Meeting
Follow up after an incident Face-to-face conversation (meeting)
Gossip/jokes Face-to-face (never email)
Internal news Intranet, blog, wiki (email with link)
Making a sale Email to 'warm up'; close with face-to-face conversation (meeting)
Performance feedback/review Face-to-face conversation (meeting) - never email
Refusal/rejection Email (diamond sequence) or letter
Send information Email [with attachment(s) if necessary]
Send meeting agenda/papers Email with attachments (not as part of meeting invite)
Socialising/trivia Text/IM
Special thanks Handwritten note (richer medium = higher perceived sincerity)
Who knows about . . . Email selectively (not to everyone)
When to email?

Cheat Sheets
1 page summaries

What sort of
people is it not
appropriate to
communicate
with via email?

• Those in roles who don’t access email
often or at all
• Those with reading or language
limitations
• Older generations who may struggle
with email technology
• Certain personality styles who just
aren’t email savvy
• Other languages/cultures

• Get to the point quickly
• Use bullet points
• Suggest possible actions
• Be practical, with sense of urgency
• Use novel approach
• Appeal to sense of originality
• Float ideas and forward thinking
• Avoid lots of detail
• Include greeting and cordial closing
• Respect tradition and process
• Appeal to values
• Be people-sensitive
• Logical, fact-based
• Support with relevant data
• Demonstrate thoroughness
• Show fairness, avoid emotion
Understanding Email Communication Styles
There are 4 basic
communication styles
Drivers/
Sensors
Expressives
/ Intuitors
Amiables/
Feelers/
realtors
Analysts/
Thinkers

Drivers
Sensors
Expressives
Intuitors
Amiables
Feelers
Relators
Analysts
Thinkers
• Get to the point quickly
• Use bullet points
• Suggest possible actions
• Be practical, with sense of urgency
• Use novel approach
• Appeal to sense of originality
• Float ideas and forward thinking
• Avoid lots of detail
• Include greeting and cordial closing
• Respect tradition and process
• Appeal to values
• Be people-sensitive
• Logical, fact-based
• Support with relevant data
• Demonstrate thoroughness
• Show fairness, avoid emotion
Understanding Email Communication Styles

Tips Sheets

Strategy #2:
The Challenge of
Communicating in
the Age of Speed

2: Communicating in the Age of Speed
Media richness framework
(based on a theory by Daft & Lengel)
Degree/depthofunderstanding
Timeneedtocommunicate
Greater context or richness

How easy is it to be misunderstood?
What is the impact if your message is
misunderstood?
If misunderstood, how quickly can it be
rectified?
1:
2:
3:
Three considerations:

2: Communicating in the Age of Speed
Media richness framework
(based on a theory by Daft & Lengel)
Degree/depthofunderstanding
Timeneedtocommunicate
Greater context or richness
Digital
Auditory
Visual
Asynchronous
Synchronous

Cheat Sheet
1 page summary

Strategy #3:
What is Your
Desired Outcome?
© Solutions for Success 2017

3: What is your desired outcome
Action required
Response requested
Read only
FYI
Every email we send
has a desired outcome
There are only ever
4 desired outcomes

3: What is your desired outcome
Action required
Response requested
Read only
FYI

Use Drafts folder when sending email
X

Use Drafts folder when sending email

Pre-write as much as possible
Greeting

Sign off

Marketing message
or a reminder

Contact
details

Use ‘Quick parts’
© Steuart Snooks 2015 www.findtime.com.au

Strategy #4:
What Makes an
Effective
Subject Line?

4: What makes an effective subject line
Action required
Response requested
Read only
FYI
Desired Outcome Timeframe Target
Deadline
When
Due by
Before
To
To
cc
cc
1 2 3

To
cc
1: Desired outcome
clearly stated (so the
reader knows what’s
expected of them
2: Timeframe
specified
3: Clear, concise
description of the
subject
Recipient placed in the TO box – an action or response is expected
Recipient placed in the CC box – info only, no action or response expected
4: What makes an effective subject line?

Strategy #5:
Automate Your
Follow up

How do you keep
track of e-mails you
need to follow up?
Question

5: Automate your follow up
When writing new email, add a follow up reminder

Add a reminder for yourself

Add a reminder for the recipient

Keeping track of follow ups
Search Folders
For Follow up
Search Folders
For Follow up

All flagged emails

Black if pending
Red if overdue

Keep track here

Start & Due dates

Your reminder

Their reminder

Strategy #6:
Why Inverted Pyramid
Structure Works Best

Main Point
Summary of your main point, request,
recommendation or solutions
Supporting
details
Background, reasons
explanations, details
Any next steps
Concise close
Sign off
6: Why INVERTED PYRAMID structure work best

The F-shape
A heatmap from eye-
tracking study of
websites.
Areas viewed most are
red, then yellow, then
blue.
Grey areas were not
viewed at all.

main point here

Main Point
Summary of your main point, request,
recommendation or solutions
Supporting
details
Background, reasons
explanations, details
Any next steps
Concise close
Sign off
Driver, Director,
Controller, Choleric
Expressive,
Intuitive, Sanguine
Amiable, Realtor,
Feeler, Phlegmatic
Analyst,
Thinker, Melancholic

1. We looked over the research, talked
to the employees, and checked the
budget. We have decided to go
ahead with the expansion.
2. We have decided to expand our
operation. The research supports it.
The employees are for it, and the
budget will sustain it.
Inverted Pyramid example
Which sentence uses inverted pyramid structure?

DATE: 11th May, 2015
TO: John Smith
FROM: Fred Bloggs
SUBJECT: Need for a Coordination Clerk
The need for photocopying services is growing at this
department. Copying requests from all the departments are
sent to the Purchasing Department, because the photocopy
machine is located here. However, we are the only area without
an assigned control clerk.
As a result of this, the copy-related accounting, re-order of paper,
and repair calls are not co-ordinated. Because of the overall
volume of work being handled by the Purchasing Division, and
the increasing demand for this service, these functions can no
longer be performed by a department of this size. It is essential
that we add a co-ordination clerk to the Purchasing Division.
What should be changed in this email?

Inverted Pyramid is
not the ‘natural’ way
of writing!

main point here
Cut ‘n paste
your main
point from
bottom to
top

The 5:30 Rule
Give a 5 second
overview of your
message and then
expand on it with
a 30 second
version of it
Why INVERTED PYRAMID structure work best

SUMMARIES
before details
REQUESTS
before reasons
SOLUTIONS
before
explanations
RECOMMENDATIONS
before background
info
Why INVERTED PYRAMID structure work best

Strategy #7:
Why You Write an
Email Backwards

7: Why You Should Write an E-mail Backwards
3: Address message last
2: Write subject line
1: Write & edit message

Inverted Pyramid Structure
Main Point
Supporting
details
Close

Strategy #8:
Why You
Should Use
Delay Delivery

7 Reasons You Should Use
Delay Delivery for Your Emails
1. Allows you write messages at a time that suits you
2. Choose optimal time for your message to arrive (maximize
your chance of a response)
3. Eliminates need to remember to write/send messages
4. Gives opportunity to edit or improve your message before
it is sent (eg: use rule to delay all messages)
5. Enhances your professionalism, sets a good example,
manages expectations
6. Reduces likelihood of getting caught up in back ‘n forth
email ‘ping pong’
7. Reduces chances of your email being lost in the ‘morning
purge’

How to Delay Delivery of an Email

How to Delay Delivery of an Email
Outbox Date
written
Date
sent

How to stay in touch
Steuart G. Snooks
Email Strategist & Productivity Expert
Conference presentations
E-mail audits/surveys
Consulting & advice
Keynote speaking
Research papers
Workshops
Blog posts
Audio CDs
Webinars
Seminars
Coaching
E-books
Articles
Ideas
Tips
Solutions for Success
Mobile: 0413 830 772
Email: steuart@solutions4success.com.au
www.steuartsnooks.com.au

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