Email

I have seen organisations go from a donkey-like stubbornness to the introduction of email to a love affair with it. Almost within a week there are emails and countless copies flying everywhere. Jokes, images- all with the abandon of a child in a free lolly shop. How do you know when this is happening to you? For a start you'll get complaints and endless frustration with emails. Generally this gets blamed on the email, computers or modern society in general. If you have realistic expectation that is based on knowing the medium then it won't happen and you'll get max return.

Event management, with its reliance of focused, lean, time-based information can not use this as a model for communication. So I have distilled a few laws of email for those involved in events :

1. Keep it concise : too many words dilutes the strength of the email

The information in an email - particularly for organising operations and logistics - should be concise, targeted and ,preferably, dot point form with numbers and headings. The enables a correct reply and the ability to track decisions.

2. Put all the sender contact details in the signature

Most email software has a facility for the sender’s contact details to be automatically placed at the end of the message. Use it. Many people who use internal email (intranet) don’t use this feature as everyone in their company knows them . They then assume it is the same for external email - it isn’t.

3. Put the subject in the subject field

I am afraid the "Hi" messages get deleted before they are read. An email must have the real subject in that field, i.e. what is placed as the subject of the email. It also enables reader and subsequent readers to follow the thread of a series of emails. For example if there have been a number of emails about the sound system they can all be sorted by subject and what-went-wrong found quickly.4

4. Don't use formatting

Absolutely forget all the fancy formatting or images. It is pointless trying as there are too many versions of email software to show them as you see them on your computer. Email is not a substitute for 'brochures' - it is a focussed hard communication medium.

TIPS

Just a few more tips for the busy event manager:

1. Don't put "urgent"tabs unless it is really urgent. This is a sure way to devalue your future messages.
2. When replying, address all the points in their order and with the correct number.
3. If at all possible find out what software the recipient is using. This is especially important for attachments.
4. Don't confuse the friendly chatty emails for work emails.
5. Always be polite ( if firm), spell and punctuate correctly.
6. Don't use acronyms unless the recipient knows what they mean e.g. FIY
7. Understand what a file extension is - I have received many an attachment with extensions such as .ife or .aly

In conclusion - in every other sphere people learn how to do things before doing them, email is exactly the same.

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Copyright W.J. O'Toole 2005