Do your emails pass the relevance test?!

I’ve unearthed some extraordinary (but unsurprising) stats recently. A huge proportion of our emails are never opened. Many are opened but never read in full. Then there are those that are read, but never responded to.

On the flip side, there are the serial emailers, who respond to everything, copying-in others wherever possible.

This all creates a ‘Forth Bridge’ effect; by the time you clear out last night’s emails, your inbox is already filling up again. I mentioned this to a friend yesterday who mentioned casually that he had 1,923 unread messages in his inbox.

The implications are vast. It is difficult to concentrate. Difficult to relax. There’s a sense of ‘inbox pressure’ where we keep checking – and interrupting our work and ‘off’ time. Working from home means those boundaries are becoming increasingly blurred.

So what to do? 

Sadly, we can’t stop the influx of emails. But we can be more careful about what we send. And do everything possible to maximise the chances of getting our correspondence read and acted upon.

Here are ten ways to pass the relevance test. See how many you score. And then please read tip eleven VERY carefully indeed.

1. Decide before you start writing what the single KEY message should be
2. Plan what you’re going to say before you start writing with that KEY message in mind
3. Write in language that is relevant to the reader
4. Prioritise your key message early in the email
5. Try to minimise attachments – opening and saving them is a major cause of grief and waste
6. Ensure that your writing is simple and jargon-free
7. Try to write in sentences of less than ten words
8. Break large chunks of text into short paragraphs
9. Keep your tone as relaxed and conversational as possible
10. If you require a response make it clear what you need and when

11.  Would it be quicker to make a call? If so, pick up the phone! And if you must send it, only copy somebody in if it is essential that they read it too.