Category Archives: Communication Tips

Common Mistake in Email Communication!

Email subject lines make all the difference in getting your email read by someone else.  If you want your colleague, boss or customer to read your email sooner than later you must write a subject line that catches their attention and personalizes it as well.  This is the most common mistake I see in emails.   Yes, I know that it’s easier to just jot a quick response to someone – not change the subject line – and then hit the submit button.  But don’t be surprised if then the other person doesn’t get around to reading your email for days thinking that it is old news.

I’m sure I’m not unique when I start my work day out with rapidly scan my incoming emails for those that are first priority.  A quick glance at the subject lines alert me to those that need my attention first and then those that are less urgent and can wait a bit. Sometimes there are red flags but I don’t find those as helpful as a personal note from someone I know.  The subject lines give me a quick and easy way to sort through the flood of emails – on the bottom of the pile goes those emails that were forwarded and that have old subject lines.  And I’m pretty ruthless about deleting all misc. and junk emails – I just have to delete, delete and delete or I will be buried within two days.

Hidden in the Email

But sometimes I’m wrong!  I’ll click on an email a couple of days later to discover that it actually had something really important in it and that someone needed me to take some immediate action.  I never knew it was a priority because there was no indication in the subject line.  Then I feel like I’m playing catch up – or worse – I may have totally missed out on a great training, coaching or networking opportunity.  And it’s a bit awkward to suggest that if only the sender had written what they needed in the subject line I could have gotten back to them much sooner.

3 Quick Tips to Get Your Email Read

So here are three quick tips to make sure your email gets read.  First, change the subject line to say exactly what you need from your reader.  Second, add your first name so they know who is writing them.  And third, you can ask a question to make sure you get a response.  An example for an email regarding an upcoming meeting could be “Mtg. Wed. Sept 7th/Can You Attend?/Kit”.  And a little bit of humor is perfectly okay as well – we want the reader to always respond positively to seeing our name in their email in-box!

 

Posted in Communication Tips, Inspirational Leadership, Personal Development, Your Time & Energy | Tagged | Leave a comment

Password is a Great Challenge in Communication!

Communication never gets easier with a rollicking group of family and friends playing Password.  We pulled out our old, old game during a recent week at a lakeside cabin in Maine.  This is our favorite game to play during long summer evenings especially if  we have several generations playing at the same time.  First, this game is so old that usually no one has ever heard of it.  Second, it is so simple that all of us can get it – or so we think.  It’s kind of like Charades or Pictionary without any drawing or acting.

Divide up into teams (mix the generations to make it funnier) and then one person from each team lines up in front of the fireplace.  They are secretly given the same word from the moderator “hubby Wally”. Taking turns they are allowed to give their team members one word with the hope that their team will spontaneously guess the secret word.  The trick is to communicate with your team mates using skillful word associations and context.


Understanding Each Other’s Meaning

You won’t think it would be so difficult but understanding what someone else is saying depends on not only on the actual words being said but more importantly   with the context and association the words bring to mind.  Interesting, it’s very frequently why we have disconnects in communication.  Someone says “That’s not what I said” and the other person says “Oh, but that’s what I thought you meant”.  Each thinks they heard it right.

As I  watch our team members laugh as they struggle to guess the words I’m struck with how quickly word associations happen.  Our brains connect words with meaning almost instantaneously.  And we’re so tempted to shout out that first association as our buddy Cedric repeatedly did.  Sometimes those associations are right on and sometimes they are way off the mark.

As Leaders – Are We Talking About the Same Thing?

If you are in any kind of leadership position, realizing the power of word association is very helpful.  You may think you’re being very clear in your communication only to be surprised that your direct reports or a colleague assumed something quite different.  In most cases, it’s perfectly understandable because we hear what makes sense to us – in our own context.  So a wise leader always double checks to make sure that everyone heard the same thing.  And if you have any doubts about how complex communication is – especially between generations – just bring out that game of Password!

 

Posted in And a Bit More, Communication Tips, Inspirational Leadership, Personal Development, Your Time & Energy | Tagged | Leave a comment