Randall Dean Consulting & Training, LLC
Timely Tips February 2015:

A Simple Question to End E-mail Insanity
 
  
*Plus, I have added a second date for the upcoming Taming the E-mail Etiquette webinar program 
February 2015
  
Welcome to February -- shortest month of the year that often feels the longest!  (I'm sure my friends in New England would agree right about now!)  But remember all of you Northerners -- as of today we are less than 6 weeks from the start of Spring!  (And all of you out west and to the south already enjoying "springy" weather -- don't let the rest of us know!)

I have figured out one of the best ways to keep winter moving by is to stay REALLY busy, so in addition to my normal client work, I have been working hard on building my new e-store featuring several of my streaming program replays, as well as offering more webinars this year.  Note down and to the right that I added a second date for my upcoming Taming the E-mail Etiquette Beast webinar due to a request from two of my company clients (now February 24th -- two weeks from today -- with a repeat session on March 18th.)

Related to that, I wanted to give a short Timely Tip on a simple question to help reduce e-mail insanity with your written messages:
   
A Simple Question to Help Reduce Written E-mail Insanity 
This is where you can always find your Timely Tip.

 

You are composing a new e-mail, and as you are crafting it, you have that feeling that maybe, just maybe, it will cause more problems than it solves.  If you ever get this feeling, ask yourself this simple question:

 

 

"Is e-mail the best tool to address this current communications situation?"

It is a very simple question, but, when you are the sender, if you consistently ask this question prior to sending, you will find that your e-mails will both work better for you and cause less problems for those around you.  (And it will work EVEN BETTER if you can get those sending YOU e-mails to ask this question before they hit send too!)

When is the answer "Yes"?

E-mail works great when the message is clear, the assignments and delegations within the message are clear, the due date is clear (and not right away!), and the e-mail doesn't cause a negative emotional response.  In essence, if the e-mail contains simple information, tasks, and text (especially not critically time sensitive), go for it!

When is e-mail problematic?

When the e-mail is very dense, easily misinterpreted, lacking clarity of assignments and delegations, containing hidden or missing due dates, covering too many topics, or sent to too many people.  And, yes, of course, if it is "red hot urgent" and/or highly emotional in response.  None of these conditions make for a good e-mail message, and indicate a different communications option might be superior. 

Yes, it might be time to actually pick up the phone, go find the person, and/or call a meeting and/or conference call.  Now, sometimes, the only flaw with the e-mail is the urgency.  The e-mail itself is clear, with clear assignments/deliverables and due dates.  But, it is "red hot".  In that case, I believe you can still use e-mail, with one caveat.  As soon as you send that message, out of courtesy, pick up the phone and notify the recipient that you just sent them a "red hot" e-mail they need to address right away.  Just by giving them that phone call, you now take away much of the risk that they won't see it or act on it on time. 

Now, if the message has the confusion, density, or emotion issues we've discussed above, it is time to consider a different communications tool.  Perhaps you go ahead and send an e-mail letting the recipient know something tricky, complex, or confusing has popped up related to your project, person, or activity, but instead of getting into the details, you simply ask for a good time to stop by or call.  This is a viable e-mail option -- don't get into the details, and simply ask for access.

Of course, the devil is in the details.  I cover all of this and more in the webinar on February 24th to look at all of these situations, and provide guidance and strategies to help people avoid e-mail miscommunication and find e-mail sanity and productivity again.

But if you as the sender can ask yourself the simple question above before sending a message, and also get those around you to ask the same question, I believe you can greatly reduce e-mail miscommunication and aggravation for yourself and everyone around you. 
My "Top Ten E-mail Time Savers" Article in a Nice Looking PDF

Late last year, one of my most popular articles -- Top Ten E-mail Time Savers -- was featured in an issue of the ABA Insider magazine.  The publisher has given me permission to share in a very attractive PDF format.  Definitely something to share: 
http://www.randalldean.com/Dean_ABA_Insiders_EmailTimeSavers.pdf
********
A power-packed issue this February, eh?  If you are stuck in the cold, I've just given you some tasks to help use up this time as we approach Spring.  And if you are someplace nice and warm, I hope you are reading this issue outside on your phone or tablet!
 

Until next month, stay Timely!


Sincerely,


Randy Dean
Randall Dean Consulting & Training, LLC
http://www.randalldean.com 

 

PS:  Please consider joining my networking list on LinkedIn -- http://www.linkedin.com/in/randydean (would love your recommendation!) and/or becoming a Taming E-mail fan on Facebook here. Follow me on Twitter @timelyman.  (And I'm on YouTube & Google+ too.) ;-) 
 

App of the Month

Contacts+

 

Contacts+ is available on both iTunes and Google Play
 
This is a very cool contacts/address book app that has a beautiful user interface and also helps aggregate your contact info across both traditional contacts and your social media.  In essence, Contacts+ takes your address book, marries it to your Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, and Twitter, and then gives you access to your contacts, phone, and e-mail with photo icons and more complete info.

Definitely worth a look (and, for now, still FREE!)
  Bonus Tip for Android & Gmail Users that are also Frequent Fliers

 


Google did something cool again!  (Or creepy -- you have to decide!)

Last month, I was informed of an automatic upgrade on my Android phone -- if I receive my flight reservations e-receipts/confirmations via my Gmail account, my Android phone will not automatically post flight status updates on the days of those flights.  It just appears directly on the phone.  Yes, I have now started sending all of my flight reservation receipts to my Gmail account.  Very cool!
*************
Two Weeks From Today:  Webinar on 2/24/2015
1:00 EST

Taming the E-mail Etiquette Beast:
Finding Your Sanity in Your E-mail Communications


NEW:  Added a Second Date:  March 18th, 1:00 p.m. EST

When you register, you will be given the option of which date you would like to attend (and if you can't make either, you will get access to the program recording)


Just go here to my new Online E-Learning Academy page, and click on the Taming E-mail Etiquette webinar icon to learn more.  Note also the Taming E-mail Dual Combo option that gives you a seat at the upcoming webinar AND access to the on line "anytime" streaming version of my popular Taming the E-mail Beast program, getting both programs at a significant savings vs. buying just one. 

   

Are you a leader of a member group, association, or an author/expert with a large database?  Would you like to share programs like this with your own members or readers?  If so, send me a note on how you can promote this same webinar and my other streaming programs to raise revenues risk-free for your organization.   

NEW FEATURE:
Life Hacks!

Here's a fun one from BoredPanda.com -- when picking up a pizza, to keep it warm, turn on your car's seat warmer and put the pizza on that seat.  Check out the article -- many more to choose from!  (I really like the tennis ball organizers too.)