Dave's Dirty Dozen Email Rules
It’s been four years since we launched Dave's Charm School’s online platform and many people have benefited from the courses, not least of which is the Communications 101 course about active listening, body language, communicating respectfully, and more.
One of the lessons in the course is titled “Email, IM, Texting Standards” and includes my Dirty Dozen Email Rules. These rules are incredibly helpful for any executive, manager, or front-line employee that wants to present themselves professionally and communicate effectively via email.
Every rule may not apply to you, but most of them probably do. Feel free to copy and edit my list to create your own list that works at your company.
Without further ado, here’s Dave’s Dirty Dozen Email Rules:
#1 Communicate based on their preferred style
The best way to get your message across in a written medium is to adjust your writing style to the way the recipient of your email prefers to receive information. If you don't know what that is, figure it out in advance, because it may determine whether your message is received properly or not.
For example, executives are often juggling multiple priorities at once and don’t have time for a lengthy story on why Employee A was having a problem with Employee B. When emailing them, you’ll want to be clear, concise, and to the point.
One resource that can help with communication is knowing someone’s preferred communication styles. Our Clients use our talent assessments for this and benefit greatly.
#2 No hiding behind email – speak, do not write negatives
When we are experiencing difficulty with others there is a high sensitivity to written words. There is no tone of voice, no visual cues as to the person’s feelings or intention, and it’s difficult to ask a quick question to clarify something.
If you have an issue with someone it is best to talk with them in-person or by phone. Avoid “flaming emails”. You know, those emails where someone just unloads all their frustrations in multiple paragraphs. Don’t do that.
When there is a problem, verbal conversations are best. Don’t hide behind your computer. If necessary, follow-up after the verbal conversation with a brief, respectful email to confirm key points.
#3 Make the subject line clear, updated, and catchy
Every email you send should have a good, relevant subject line. Be brief. Be clear. Motivate.
The subject line of your email can determine whether or not your communication is read at all. Do you need it to be a hook to motivate someone to open your email? Then try to grab their attention with something catchy, especially if the information is important/urgent. Then, as you go back and forth with someone and the length of the email gets longer and longer, update the the subject line to keep it relevant as the focus of your comments change.
#4 Only copy necessary people
If you use email a lot, it probably runs your workday. Don’t you hate receiving an email that you didn’t need to be copied on? It’s a waste of time for you and anyone else involved.
Make sure you only copy people on emails who absolutely need to be informed. Blind copies can come back to bite you, so use the BCC option discriminately. Forward emails to others only when appropriate, and only when you would be comfortable if they were doing the same thing with your communications. Consider the cost of a BCC becoming public.
#5 Be brief
There’s a time and a place for your full report. Email probably isn’t it, and if it is, you should attach the report, not put it in the text of the email.
Be brief. Be bright. Be gone. The vast majority of people, especially at work, don’t want to read your life story. We’ve all got work to do, people! Get to the point.
Use attachments and links to limit the length of email body copy. Schedule a verbal discussion when interaction is needed. Use email for notes, brief announcements, and confirmation of details, action items, and agreement.
#6 Format information for scanning, not reading
There is too much to do and not enough time. In addition to being brief in your length of content, you should also format your content for easy digestion.
Here’s how: Design your communication to be scanned rather than read. Take those big paragraphs and put them into bullet points. This will take you a little bit more time to compose your email, but it demonstrates respect to the recipient, increases the likelihood of a response, and improves overall productivity.
#7 Make it easy to take action
This is an easy one that is often overlooked. What’s the purpose of all this email? To get work done.
Therefore, if you want someone to do something in-person or online, take the time to provide accurate info and links.
NOTE: Check your links before sending.
#8 Never say anything you do not want in the newspaper
In a verbal conversation, people will forget an off-hand comment or joke in a matter of minutes. But email never dies, unless managed by an unethical politician (zing!).
Therefore, you should choose your words cautiously when composing an email. As my eighth grade English teacher used to say, "Peruse your verbatim carefully” before clicking the Send button. A wise person chooses to avoid risk and save some comments for a verbal conversation at another time, if at all.
#9 Use drafts, proofread, and auto spell/grammar check
Since email can be such a difficult medium for communication, you want to make sure you are sending the right email. You don’t always have to send the first version. If the text doesn’t feel right for an important email, let it sit in your Drafts folder for 30 minutes, then revisit. You may even want to wait until the next day to send a very important, non-urgent email.
When you do review your draft, proofread it multiple times. Do a spelling and grammar check. Draft a second version, if necessary.
Finally, if there’s a voice in your head telling you to get a second opinion, ask someone you trust to review your email and provide their opinion. Usually that voice encouraging you to get their opinion is trying to save you from unnecessary drama.
#10 Include a professional signature
This is easy. Have a consistent professional signature for everyone in your organization. There are many ways to do this, but the key components of a signature should be the following:
An end to your email, like “Sincerely, David”
Your full name
Your title
Your email address and possibly a phone number
Your company name
Your company logo
Links to social media, meeting scheduling services, or support (optional)
We use Calendly to help automate the process of setting appointments, so I include a link in my email signature for people to schedule appointments with me. Here is an example of my signature:
#11 Schedule time for email
I turned off notifications for every email coming into my Inbox years ago. I now limit my time each day to look at email, although at times I will pop in for brief bursts of Inbox review in between meetings.
The simple fact is email can be a huge distraction. I don’t have control over when my emails arrive, how urgent they are, or how many there are. But I do have control over myself and I can choose how much control my inbox has over me.
Unless you work in customer support, you don’t have to be on constant alert. Close your email program, focus all your efforts on work, then check your email at regular intervals.
#12 Respond quickly and clear Inbox daily
Your goal each day should be to clear your Inbox. For some of us it is a Herculean task. But it’s a really great way to keep you focused, clear your head for the next project, and make sure to tie up any loose ends.
Try to touch an email only once. Open it, respond to it or take action, then file it away. I like to use folders to save emails for future reference. Quick, brief responses are fine. Sometimes your quick reply may be only to commit to get something done at a later time.
No response is UNACCEPTABLE if the email is from someone you know.
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And that’s it!
I could go on. The course is called Communications 101, after all, and there are so many unwritten rules to communicating effectively. However, this should give you plenty to consider. I hope you found these tips helpful and can apply them to save time, avoid drama, and improve relationships moving forward.
