design:retail - July 2018 - 31

031

"Consider that every email
you write is an opportunity
to express your personality
and professionalism and
maybe even bring a smile
to someone's face."
-JUDY BELL

It also is effective to change the subject line if a back-and-forth exchange
results in a shift from the original objective. For example, if all parties are
in agreement to schedule a meeting
and details are in place, the subject
line might read: "Wednesday, July
11, 2 p.m. @ Spyhouse Coffee." This
sends a message of confirmation and
clarifies specifics.
In the body of the email, think
about the tone of voice you'd like to
use. Using all caps leads people to believe you are shouting, but they can
be effective if used sparingly to draw
attention to an important point or to
express enthusiasm. If you know the
person well, you may want to lead
in with a short, friendly note. Also
consider a conversational approach
without using corporate jargon, such
as "I don't have the bandwidth,"
"I want to unpack a statement I
made" and "I didn't commit that to
memory." Early in my career, I was
inspired by Brenda Ueland's book, "If
You Want To Write." She encouraged
composing as if you were writing
to an 8 year old-which she, in fact,
learned from Tolstoy. This is an easy
way to keep your message simple and
also is a reminder to cut corporate
jargon. And if you need a question
answered, italics or bold will ensure
it stands out. The reader is more likely to fire off a quick response if the
question is clearly emphasized.
When you've completed writing
the email, read it at least a couple of
times, preferably out loud. Edit as
needed and then reread the entire

email. Depending on the level of importance or urgency for a response,
you may want to determine the
best time to send it. The Wall Street
Journal ran an article in March 2018,
"The Smartest Ways to Use Emails
at Work" by Andrew Blackman. He
wrote about a study of 16 billion
emails that revealed "...people replied
more quickly early in the week, and
those replies were often longer. The
same applied to time of day-between
8 a.m. and noon was best." Therefore,
in some cases, it may make sense to
hold off sending a significant email on
a Friday afternoon, and instead wait
until Monday morning when it will
be near the top of the stack.
All of the elements above-creative
subject lines, conversational tone
and careful editing-are a way to begin writing emails that will capture
attention and elicit speedy responses. As you routinely send messages
that demonstrate your respect for
your colleagues' time and opinions,
your professionalism will be appreciated. As an unexpected gesture,
an occasional handwritten note of
thanks for their valuable insights will
be one of the most strategic moves
you can make.
JUDY BELL IS THE FOUNDER OF ENERGETIC RETAIL
(ENERGETIC-RETAIL.COM) AND AUTHOR OF "SILENT
SELLING." SHE HELD AN INSPIRATIONAL ROLE FOR
22 YEARS AT TARGET CORP. AND NOW SHARES
HER INSIGHTS ON NAVIGATING THE CREATIVE
WORKPLACE WITH DESIGN:RETAIL IN THIS BI-ISSUE
COLUMN. SEND YOUR QUESTIONS FOR "ASK JUDY"
TO JESSIE.DOWD@EMERALDEXPO.COM.
http://lumicor.com http://lumicor.com http://www.ENERGETIC-RETAIL.COM
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