The Frustration of Unclear Subject Lines and Misuse of CC

Do you find that there is a lack of consistency or protocol around use of subject lines and ‘cc’ in your organisation?

Two of the most common complaints about email are:

  1. Subject lines that are unclear (or match the message)

  2. The amount of ‘cc’ and reply all email received

I just received an enquiry to present an Email Etiquette workshop to address these two frustrations and provide a consistent approach for all staff around managing corporate email.

I will be showing them that an effective subject line is the most important element of an email and must have 3 components (most of us only provide one of these).

  1. The first of these is a desired outcome - every email we send has one of only 4 desired outcomes

  2. The second is a timeframe – without it, the sender has very little control of when their email will be actioned

  3. The third is a clear concise description of the subject or topic

 I will be giving a quick explanation of these in this week’s Dr Email Q&A Forum. Click here to join me on Tuesday at 12:30pm AEST.

 I will discuss a range of solutions for managing the ‘cc’ and ‘reply all’ culture in next week’s ezine.

 P.S. If you’d like to more about the Email Etiquette workshop, reach out to me here

 
Steuart Snooks