1. State the purpose in the subject line. Particularly important if you need information or a specific response. "Advice Needed on Carlson Bid," for example, is better than "A Question for You."

2. Get to the point-fast. Chris Brogan, blogger and social media expert, who gets about 600 emails a day, says the average email starts with 200 words of "throat clearing." So lead with what you need and get on with it. Being active on Twitter, which only allows bursts of 140 characters or less, has actually made me a better writer of emails.

3. Appeal to the scanners. A recent Nielsen study showed that 79 percent of test users scanned online messages first to determine their importance. Most messages can skip at least the first three sentences and not lose any valuable information. Use the return key liberally because you want lots of white space and, depending on the message, sometimes sub-headings, too. Makes it much easier for busy people to digest.

4. Sandwich your idea. State the goal/purpose in the first sentence, expand on the idea (but not too much), then restate what you need in the closing sentence. Another great strategy to get through to distractable people.

5. Avoid open-ended messages. They require more back-and-forth. Instead of "Want to meet for lunch?, how about: "I have this Wednesday and Friday free for lunch. Can you meet me either one of those days at noon at Armondo's?" So, offer choices (but not too many).

6. Use "mark urgent" sparingly. Remember the children's story, The Boy Who Cried Wolf? To get attention, he said he was going to be eaten by a wolf-so many times that when it really happened, no one believed him and, as I recall, he lost his life. Don't be that boy. Use "urgent" only when you absolutely need an immediate response.

7. Know when to pick up the phone. Ever gone back and forth with someone by email when the situation could have been easily resolved with a phone call? Or maybe you have a client whose information gathering style is clearly auditory (as in a phone call), rather than visual (as in email message)? Use the phone when it works better.