Earlier this year, I shared The 10 Commandments of Email Etiquette. For the most part, it was well received. Many of us are inundated with digital communication, and trimming away the “fat” and becoming more efficient is a viable and welcomed solution.
In the past week, I’ve seen several Tweets about users turning-off their Google+ Plus notifications, as well as wrangling Twitter’s email notification of every ReTweet and Reply. User inbox’s are getting weighed down.
In an attempt to reverse this email spiral, an Email Charter has been created.
Will you sign it?
Here are the 10 proposed rules from the Email Charter:
1. Respect Recipients’ Time
It’s the sender’s responsibility, even if it takes the sender more time.
2. Short or Slow is not Rude
Let’s all agree to cut each other some slack! If you don’t understand why emails need to be short and to the point, you must have a light inbox. Sorry to offend, but if you don’t want a brusque response, it may take a while to respond.
3. Celebrate Clarity
If the email has to be longer than five sentences, make sure the first provides the basic reason for writing.
Just because your email gives you the option to change fonts, sizes and colors, doesn’t mean you should.
4. Quash Open-Ended Questions
I make this mistake all the time, but that doesn’t mean I disagree.
It is asking a lot to send someone an email with four long paragraphs of turgid text followed by “Thoughts?”. Even well-intended-but-open questions like “How can I help?” may not be that helpful. Email generosity requires simplifying, easy-to-answer questions. “Can I help best by a) calling b) visiting or c) staying right out of it?!”
5. Slash Surplus cc’s
If you have “Reply All” as a default – change it!
cc’s are like mating bunnies.
6. Tighten the Thread
Before sending an email, cut away what’s not relevant. If it’s going to take more than three emails, consider using the phone.
7. Attack Attachments
Stop using logos and signatures that load as attachments. It’s just confusing and makes you look terribly vain.
8. Give these Gifts: EOM NNTR
This was new to me:
If your email message can be expressed in half a dozen words, just put it in the subject line, followed by EOM (= End of Message). This saves the recipient having to actually open the message. Ending a note with “No need to respond” or NNTR, is a wonderful act of generosity. Many acronyms confuse as much as help, but these two are golden and deserve wide adoption.
9. Cut Contentless Responses
Emails that say, “Great!”, “Thanks!”, etc … should not be sent. You just wasted your recipients time.
10. Disconnect!
Email free weekends? Turn the email feature on your smartphone off when you’re not at work? When you’re out of the office, you might consider being out of the office.
Conclusion
A number of these were included in The 10 Commandments of Email Etiquette. Like I said before, these kind of rules are generally well received; however, I did receive some negative feedback.
Some believe that many of these rules are simply rude and “un-Christian.” I think valuing other people’s time over my own is certainly more Christ-like, as well as not harboring hard feelings about short responses to digital communication.
What do you think?
You can sign and share the Email Charter from the Email Charter website.
[Image via deltaMike]
Graham says
I agree to abide by this charter (for the most part).
Long ago I told Twitter and Facebook to stop sending me emails for every single update. That was annoying…
Eric Dye says
Indeed it was!
Andres Cabezas says
These rules are generally a good idea. The only one I take some issue with is number 9. There HAS to be some good way to succinctly express gratitude over e-mail. Maybe an e-mail with a subject line of “Thanks! EOM NNTR” would do, except that the recipient wouldn’t know what you’re thanking them for. Appending to the original subject line as in “Re: What was the name of that wonderful blog? Thanks! EOM NTTR” doesn’t seem to cut it, either.
Eric Dye says
Thanks! … wait … can I do that? – LOL!
PatrckB says
I love “If it’s going to take more than three emails, consider using the phone.”
I call the telephone The Forgotten Productivity Tool.
A simple 5 to 10 minute phone call can save many e-mails that ping-pong.
Eric Dye says
EXACTLY!