Big 5: Learning the how and when of effective email use

Email is a major form of communication, and employers need to teach their employees how to be effective users of email, including when not to use it. Here are the Big 5: five rules everyone should follow when sending and receiving emails to be effective and professional.

No 1: Always respond

If you send an email and the response is silence, you wonder: Did the person receive it? Is the person upset with me? Am I in trouble? Catastrophic thinking runs amok. So, respond, even if, as a lawyer friend of mine does, your reply is a brief “10/4” (the radio response of “okay” or “understood”).

If colleagues say “hi” in the hallway, you don’t just walk past them, do you? Same here.

No 2: No emojis, no bold

Let the quality of your writing do the heavy lifting in delivering your message, not these lazy hacks. Emojis are often perceived as unprofessional, as is highlighting the message in bold font. When I was in practice, I got an email from the deputy managing partner all in bold: “Get your time in!!!” A bolded message is like being yelled at. Whatever happened to picking up the phone?

No.3 : Consider calling