Be thoughtful for successful email communication

People frequently complain about having too many emails. Before working for myself, I totally understood - a workplace can be filled with "over-emailing."

Now, I feel like I'm totally in control. However, I still hear lots of self-employed people discuss being overwhelmed by email. Either way, there are things we can do to make it easier on ourselves, AND our colleagues.

ONE POINT OF CONTACT
When working with multiple people from one organization, ask that they provide you with one person as your point of contact. If multiple people contact you separately about the same project, request that everything comes together on the same email chain.

If you're on the other side (working with several collaborators) and you all have the same contact for a project, be sure to communicate within your group, and then ask one person within your group to be the main point of contact to share information from all of you at once.

ONE METHOD
It is so hard to get information from clients in several different ways - email, texting, LinkedIn, Facebook messaging, Instagram direct messages, etc. etc. etc. When you reach out to someone, stick with that method of communication (unless you prefer or they request another way).

ONE GOAL
What is that goal? Be detailed yet concise. Making sure emails share important details of a project is helpful to all parties involved - it confirms that everyone is on the same page. The most difficult emails to receive are ones that are lengthy and tell a story that would be better-communicated in person or on the phone. Emails are wonderful references for the details among colleagues, but some communication can be kept concise via a phone conversation and a follow-up email.

Happy Friday!
Autumn