Many of us complain every day due to the quantity of email messages we get from work and friends, but sometimes we forget that we also send those emails with not much discrimination of content or value to our recipients. The following are some guidelines that can help you improve your email usage to interact better with your team members.
Create a folder system for sorting eMail- Make sure the subject line is relevant
- Easier to find and refer to later
- Keep contents VERY short for those who receive eMail via a Blackberry or other PDA
- Don’t use email to avoid face to face conversations
- Don’t use email to resolve conflict
- Respond quickly to conversations
- Create team based decisions on how to use email effectively
- If possible, create a common approach to storing emails
- Send simple, straightforward messages
- Only send group mail when all recipients need it
- Remove people from your distribution lists
- Update your outgoing message when you are out of the office
