Top 24 Email Protocols

Here is some great email protocol advice from Kory Kogon, Adam Merrill and Leena Rinne, authors of the book, The 5 Choices: The Path To Extraordinary Productivity: 

1. Consciously decide if an email really needs to be sent.
2. Keep it short to get the best response.
3. Make an actionable subject line.
4. Avoid vague on-word subject lines.
5. Don’t discuss more than one subject.
6. Don’t rely on the high-priority indicator (such as “!”).
7. Write the body of the email first, before filling in the “To:” line.
8. List the action steps first.
9. Be clear about whom you’re asking to take the actions.
10. If the message is short, put it in the subject line.
11. Put “NRN” at the end of your message to indicate No Need to Reply.
12. Use prefixes when necessary to let people know the urgency of the email and exactly how they need to respond.
13. Avoid using too many acronyms.
14. Respond to incoming emails within twenty-four hours.
15. Don’t expect an immediate response to your outbound emails.
16. Use out of office replies.
17. Eliminate unnecessary ccs.
18. Use bcc very, very carefully.
19. Don’t use reply all unless absolutely necessary.
20. Label your attachments appropriately.
21. Summarize discussion threads.
22. Always add new contacts to your address book.
23. Make sure your signature includes contact information.
24. Pick up the phone to discuss the issue after two or a maximum of three rounds of a conversation thread.

The 5 Choices book also provides readers insights about:

• The three challenges to productivity, brought on by new trends.
• Why it’s a myth that some people do their best work “under pressure.”
• How to evaluate the price we pay for how we are spending time on one thing versus another.
• How to make technology a servant, and not our master.
• How to generate the energy to discern the important and execute with excellence.