E MAIL PROTOCOL

INTRODUCTION
How often have we said:
I feel I spend too much time keeping up with my email
Email cuts into time I wanted to spend on other tasks
I have trouble keeping up with email on days I am away from my desk
I get too much email
I spend too much time getting rid of unimportant messages
I am satisfied with the strategy I use to keep up with my mail
When I return from vacation/time off, I feel overwhelmed when triaging my mail
Almost all of us
!ow having established a common view there are a few recorded observations about e"mail that may be
of interest:
#$ As a rule of thumb, the more people you send an email to, the less likely any single person will
respond to it, much less perform any action that you re%uested$
&$ 'he average time to write an e"mail message is about ( minutes, and the average time to read a
message is about half a minute$ It thus takes about eight times as long to write as to read
messages$
)$ *ost people cannot on average be overloaded by single"recipient messages, because the writing
time e+ceeds the reading time$
($ ,eople get -too much email. because messages are sent to many recipients and not all recipients
actually need the message$
/$ *essages to multiple users can result in the two e+tremes of
i$ nobody doing something which anybody could have done but everybody thought that
somebody would do0 and
ii$ everybody doing something which only one person needed to do
A common theme within these independent views is that e"mails to and from multiple users do not
necessarily generate the e+pected response$ Indeed it may result in further frustration that e"mails one
needs are being obscured by the fog of other mails$
'he solution to the e"mail dilemma which almost all of s face is to use and appropriate e"mail protocol to
obtain the optimum communication using the medium of e"mail$
AIM
'he aim of this paper is to instill some thought within the ,ro1ect as to how e"mail should be used so that
our communication is effective and contributes to the overall productivity of the ,ro1ect rather than
stultifying it$
INITIATING E-MAILS
'he initiator of an e"mail may be creating the solution to a problem but, without thought, could create
unproductive work for many people through the use of multiple recipients resulting in multiple responses,
involving others whom recipients feel they need to consult or inform, unsolicited opinions from 2thers$
3uch a situation tends to result in 4busy"ness5 rather than -business.$
,rior to embarking on initiating a work related e"mail the following should be considered:
What is the purpose of my e-mai!
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3haring
information in
order to update
6pdating =
Informing
!il !o action is
re%uired by
the recipients
<eeping people
4in the loop5 on
possible issues
arising$
Informing !il 6se a bcc if
re%uired in
order to limit
4e+posure5
issues$
3eeking an
opinion on an
issue
>uestioning 8E3 ;irect
response to
the initiator
only, do not
use 4reply
all5$
;iscussing an
issue
:hatting 8E3 6se 4reply
all5 as views
are re%uired "
but would a
meeting be
better?
Asking/instructing
somebody to do
something
Instructing 8E3 Actionee
must
confirmation
acceptance
and also
completion$
:larifying an
issue to establish a
way forward
;irecting !2 3ilence will
be deemed to
be
acceptance$
Who is the re"ipie#t$s% of the e-mai!
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2wn Work
@roup/;epart
ment
:ollaboration /
Informing
Aaries @eneral information
on tasks in hand etc$
:onfirm views$
-7eply All. may be
used$
,ersonnel in
4other5 groups
Interfacing 8E3 :onfirmation of
understanding/complia
nce$ B:: ;epartment
Head$ 7espond to
initiator only$
3ubordinate
3taff
Instructions/;irec
tion
8E3 :onfirmation of
understanding/complia
nce$ :: subordinates
manager if re%uired$
,eers ;iscussion 8es 3haring of views =
opinions but would a
meeting be better$
3enior 3taff 3eeking
;irection/approva
ls
8es 6se B:: if you wish
others to know C but is
it really necessary?
Interested
,arties
Informing etc !o 6se B::
Do a of the i#te#&e& re"ipie#ts #ee& to 'e (&ire"ty) i#*o*e& i# the "ommu#i"atio#!
If there were no e"mail would you need to have all the participants in the discussion? If not, then
consider reducing the number of addressees in the -'2. field$ If you wish recipients to be aware
of te communication then use the -::. field or even -B::. fields to limit the B::5s recipientDsE
e+pose to the 4reply all5 option$
Do you reay re+uire a respo#se from a re"ipie#ts!
If there is a real need for a response from everybody then ask for it in the e"mail and use the -'2.
field for all intended recipients$
If you only want a response from people directed to yourself then use the -::. field$ 7ecipients
who are ::d need not use the -7eply All.$ If a recipient ob1ects to something or has a contrary
view then this should be discussed with the initiator, the use of -7eply All. to initiate a discussion
should be discussed with the initiator$ ;ifferences of opinion need not always be shared with
everybody C remember the initiator of the communication initiated the discussion with an
individual through a multiple e"mail$ 7espondees should not hi1ack the intended purpose of the
initiator$
Do a re"ipie#ts reay #ee& to 'e i#*o*e&!
Is it necessary for a recipient to -need to know. or would it be -nice to know.? It is nice to know
everything that is going on but the topic may not be relevant or impact on the recipient$ If an
opinion is asked for, is the recipientDsE the right person to ask?
Do you #ee& a ,rea& respo#se-!
Is it necessary for a recipient to advise you that he/she has read the e"mail as a re%uest for read
receipts will tender to clutter your own inbo+$ A read response will conform that the person has
seen the mail only$ If a matter is so vital that a response is re%uired a telephone call or face to face
meeting would be better, or a letter$
'he attendance at meetings may be a reason for a read response$ A nil response is taken as a yes as
the person has been asked to attend$ If the recipient cannot attend then a courteous 4no5 should be
sent otherwise acceptance is presumed$
RESPONDING TO E-MAILS
'he content and style of the response to an e"mail is up the individual$ However the response to an e"mail
can and often does create an e"mail 4chain5 which frustrates other recipients due to the mail being
irrelevant to them, interfering with other work, duplicating the
Are you i# a positio# to respo#& to the e-mai!
If the e"mail has come from an e+ternal party and is related to the ,ro1ect or Business, are you able
to speak on behalf of the organisation or to commit the organisation to something$ If in doubt,
defer from responding and speak to your line manager$ A formal means of communication or the
following of established protocols for dealing with, say %ueries regarding %uality control or
methodology, may be followed$
Do you reay #ee& to use the (Repy A) 'utto#!
If the Initiator has asked for your view as a -::. then you should only respond to the Initiator and
not everybody$ $
Do you #ee& to respo#& or "o#tri'ute!
If you are not in a position to offer anything of real value one can politely decline to contribute$ A
simple !IF response or -!o comment. to the Initiator only adds value by not taking up to much
time or re%uirement the others to know you had -!o :omment.$
If you are a :: recipient your view or input is not necessarily re%uired C you are being kept 4in the
loop5 and a response or input is not necessarily needed$ If there is a view then share it with
selected personnel or the Initiator and let the Initiator take the lead0 after all the Initiator started the
communication chain and should be allowed to close it
Do you #ee& to i#*o*e Others!
If a 7espondee needs to discuss the item with 2thers then the 7espondee should initiate an e"mail
accordingly rather than reply to all with other addressees0 after all you have been asked for your
input and attracting 2thers 1ust adds to the e"mail overload
Do a re"ipie#ts reay #ee& to 'e i#*o*e&!
Is it necessary for a recipient to -need to know. or would it be -nice to know.? It is nice to know
everything that is going on but the topic may not be relevant or impact on the recipient$
OT.ER /ORMS O/ COMMUNICATION
E"mail is an effective and rapid communication tool for seeking advice, delegating, instructing, directing
and collaborating$ However there are other, older alternatives$ If one needs to communicate and e"mail
mis the best way then use it$ However the following should be borne in mind:
Wou& it 'e +ui"0er to "a1see the perso#! E"mail is often used to 4create a record5 to cover
one5s actions and let the worlds know how busy somebody is$ 'he telephone is a %uick and
effective communication tool as is walking to an office to discuss a matter$ 3uch verbal
communications should be 4to the point5 and can be confirmed in an e"mail later if re%uired$
Wou& it 'e +ui"0er to "o#*e#e a meeti#2! 2ne should consider that a )G minute focused
meeting could be more productive that the man hours involved in chasing a multiple e"mail chain
and the number of 4reply all5 responses which clutter mail bo+es either unread or skipped over$
Is the Re"ipie#t o# Lea*e! C if a person has gone on leave it is to serve the purpose of 4going on
leave5$ If it is ma1or and significant issue that the recipient really needs to know about during
vacation then use the -B::. field in a multiple e"mail$ If the recipients input is really re%uired
then send a 4single recipient5 message or call them$ It would be preferable to prepare a briefing
note on issues etc for the recipients return to bring them 4up to speed5 rather then interfere with a
person5s leave$
CONCLUSIONS 3 RECOMMENDATIONS
E"mail is an effective means of communication$ However the effects of multiple recipient messages,
multiple recipient responses, incorporation of 2thers into e"mail chains, using -7eply All., directly
incorporating ,ro1ect 3taff who are not directly involved in issues, or involving personnel who are known
to be on leave creates e"mail overload and subse%uent inefficiency$
'he use of e"mail in a systematic controlled manner will lead to less e"mails and less time wasted$ 'he
use of e"mails must be efficient and in order to enhance efficiency it is recommended that -All 6sers.
adopt the above protocol$
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