Email Noise? Create Team Norms.
Written by Renée Safrata - renee@reneevations.com, September 24th, 2009
When I’m working with teams to improve communication, the issue of email generally produces stressed faces, furrowed brows, and sweaty foreheads. It’s astounding how depressing and chaotic our inboxes have become. But it doesn’t need to be that way.
When I sense stress around the issue of email communication, I ask teams “Have you ever sat down together to discuss how you will send and receive messages to one another?”. Most teams respond with a clear “No, we haven’t done that and we don’t have a clue of how to start that type of conversation.” Fortunately, it’s not a difficult conversation to start.
We just roll up our sleeves and discuss these issues:
1. Subject lines norms– Create agreements within your team regarding what goes in subject lines. For example, if the message concerns a client, start the subject with that client’s name – that simple step will help recipients identify the purpose of the message and effectively catalog it.
2. Set up mailbox rules - Set up rules and filters to organize your inbox. (See my Tuesday post for more on rules and sorting.)
3. Establish team norms around who’s taking an action, who is supporting an action who is to be informed on an action. The team should clearly identify an owner’ to respond and handle the issue.
- TO: if I ‘own’ a particular task and somebody wants to send me an email notifying me of an action that I need to take, my name will be in the TO: area. I will immediately know that I am responsible for taking action.
- CC: means that I am “supporting” someone else’s action and,
- BCC: means that all I need to be is keep myself “informed”.
4. More Rules Emails that have my name is in the TO: area – those emails can be sorted as action emails. Really really helpful!!
5. Discuss the use of high priority, moderate priority and low priority.
If you set aside to have these types of email norm conversations, you’ll help your team become more productive and save them from inbox stress!
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Comments: 7 Responses so far
This kind of norm WORKS. I personally use this system on the to: and cc: lines and it’s a huge help in discerning what my take away is from the email.
Bruce Beckett February 9th, 2010
In a small office like ours, we should strive for person to person discussion; and use email for document distribution and understanding next steps/assignments. But, its often the best way to keep abreast of activity of others when we are not in the office.
Personally, I am astounded with emails I receive (not from within, by the way) that the writer never contemplated might be forwarded. Once an email is in “ether” space, one needs to assume it is for everyone’s consumption.
Bruce – you are absolutely right. Choosing to stand up and have a chat will dramatically increase productivity as well as, continue to build trust amongst your colleagues.
Renée Safrata
renee@reneevations.com
E-Mail has become such a staple of business communication that it makes sense to set company norms about what expectations should be.
We have spent hours on clarifying our other communications norms and how people relate to each other etc, but no time on e-mail inspite of the fact that it is probably over 30% of the way we communications with each other.
I recognize there are several times I have taken action on e-mails that were meant to be FYI and other times read and deleted e-mails the sender intended me to take action on.
lyle hildahl February 11th, 2010
It would be a great idea for us to discuss as a team this very topic. ie. when I send an fyi I don’t need a response but not everyone knows that. Camille and just had that very conversation. I have never used the priority feature before and will start after we have a group discussion. This activity feels like a new project that I don’t have time for but need to make the time.
Camille February 16th, 2010
Yes, this norm is very effective. To = action. It is interesting to me that I receive emails and I am in the CC and not the To and expectations are that I would have taken action. It reveals that not all people are on the same page. Glad to see this come into play.
Tamela Gilmore March 28th, 2010
I found this information to be very useful. Many times I receive emails that I am included in the TO: category when I should be in the CC: or BCC:. I definitely could save time if we were more consistent in the process we utilize to communicate through email.
I also think this could be a great leadership team discuss item.
February 9th, 2010