Be part of the solution, not the problem. Think strategically to prevent email overload.
It’s difficult to know exactly how many emails each employee receives a day. However, a good guess would be “too many”. And the more emails an employee has to deal with the more “noisy” that channel becomes.
Noise is bad for effective communication. It makes it difficult for information to be heard and absorbed. And, it distracts people from their work.
Use these guidelines to do your part to prevent email overload.
Be precise with your distribution list
A common complaint about emails that come from the organization is “it doesn’t apply to me”. Be sure that your distribution list accurately reflects the true audience.
It can be tempting to use the “Everyone” list by thinking some people might like to know what’s going with other groups in the company. Wrong. Remember, the fundamental question we all subconsciously ask ourselves when we see read an email is “what does this mean to me?” If the answer is “nothing”, then you’ve not only wasted that employees time, you’ve put a bad taste in their mouth.
Tip Use Audience Segmentation to help you know what lists would make sense for your organization.
Think of other channels
Email makes it easy to distribute information and news but it’s not always the most effective channel. It’s ideal for urgent and high-priority messages. However, if something is low-priority, you might want to bundle it with other messages or use a different channel such as the intranet, walls and display cabinets, or managers.
Learn more about internal channels.
Get the timing right
When you send a message can make a difference in the perception of it being “noise”. Some factors to consider are:
- Day of the week. If at all possible, don’t send high-impact or important messages on a Friday in a traditional Monday-Friday work environment. It’s not just because people are usually in a more relaxed frame of mind so “big news” hits harder. It’s because it doesn’t allow them time to seek clarification or reassurance before the weekend.
- Time of day. First thing in the morning is the best time to catch people’s attention. The later it gets in the day, the greater the noise.
- Timing of other organizational messages. Allow a good amount of time (measured in days) between messages whenever possible.
