Email Sucks! Use The 3-Paragraph Rule So It Doesn't

The way people use email today sucks. You opened your email today and chances are you felt overwhelmed.  There were too many, most were useless, loads were too long and the vast majority were unwanted. Some had a mail trail a mile long and you were cc’d into stuff you had no interest in at all. You deleted most, flagged a couple and ignored the rest. Later someone phoned you to ask if you “got their email” as if to waste even more of your time, then, when you were looking for some information and had to call the sender they pointed you to paragraph 22 in an email they sent 3 weeks past on Friday as if you index that stuff. No, the way people use email today sucks.

Email is lazy, low quality communication. It has its uses but is generally overused, over-rated and misunderstood. To understand how to use it effectively just answer this question: What is the right media for a message?

At TALENTStream in our Communication programs we have developed a scale that points us to what media to use in any given situation. Called the Expo scale it measures 3 elements on a 1-10 scale (1 low, 10 high) delivered a total score. The elements are:

Exposure- Relates to how many senses are engaged in the communication

Immediacy- Relates to how quickly the party responds or needs to respond

Effectiveness- Relates to the flexibility of the communication and the likelihood of the party taking action as a result

Try it yourself and include all the media you can think of from Face to Face, Video Conferencing, Letters, Instant Messaging, SMS, whatever. The higher the score, the better the media. With thousands of delegates who have used this scale at our trainings in the UK and Europe, the results are always the same:

Face to face meetings are No.1 and Email is last or nearly last (along with Fax & Smoke signals).  Interestingly, Nicholas Negroponte (wrote for Wired 1993-98) said about fax in 1994 “I truly believe that the fax machine has been a serious blemish on the computer landscape” but he mentions nothing of smoke signals.  We could talk endlessly about the rise and rise of Instant Messaging or the intelligent use of SMS, each with its own social protocols and access to mind share, but let’s save that for another day. What’s important now is how you can improve your use of emails and be seen in that media as a person with higher value to your social and business network.

Here are some simple rules:

Send an email to 1 recipient- People value the communication when you value them. Big group mails and CC’ing the world is probably something about you pretending you are busy, important, avoiding responsibility (I sent it last week… check your emails) or a cry for help. Do the group and cc thing as little as possible.

Put your name and the content in the title- Why your name? Because you get the warmth of recognition (John Gardiner: 3 Paragraph Email). Of course, it can be your company name or project group just so long as the recognition factor is there. Now the content is important because it confirms the interest to the receiver. You ask “What about clever questions?”… now you’re sounding like an advertiser and you’ll get deleted. Save the clever stuff for a media without a delete key.

Only write 3-Paragraphs- Just think of your own response to a long mail.  Yes, I can hear you sigh from here. 3-Paragraphs are nice on the eye and inviting to the reader.  They can get in, get the meaning and consider the action in a few seconds, especially if you’ve clearly eluded to the content in the subject. So What Exactly Are The Rules In the 3 -Paragraph Rule?

The 3-Paragraph Rule Rules-

Paragraph 1- Be Nice: Say “Hi” or whatever, then use some compliment strategy or share something positive from your last communication. This is the equivalent of small talk which is the way the human condition expresses friendliness or a lack of threat. Too many emails are considered aggressive because people fail to put an emotional context (that says “I like you” or at least “I am OK with you”) before the message. If you haven’t met the person before then use Good, Glad or Great (e.g. Great to be in touch). These positive statements warm the communication in the same way people like weathermen who forecast sunny weather.

Paragraph 2 – The Info: This is the information or influence paragraph that will include the context and reasoning of your text. You can use “The reason for my mail is…” and then follow with the main body of your enquiry or information. People are more likely to act when there is a reason even when that reason is not important.  Come on one of our programs and we’ll show you what we mean.

Paragraph 3 – The Request: This is the action paragraph. By the way, if there is no action for the receiver, what is the value of the mail? People value communication when it is about them or there is a decision for them to make.  No decision, no value. Tell the receiver what you need them to do.  Be explicit and include dates, times and people.

That’s it.  Sign off positively and you are done. Just a few details to finish off:

Delete the Trail: You probably didn’t read it so what if it contains stuff that will put you in the poo? Delete all but the latest message.

Put a Bullet in Bullet Points: A maximum of 3. No-one has more than 3 important things to say in email or at least no-one will remember them.

If it Doesn’t Fit in 3-Paragraphs Use Another Format (pdf) and Attach It: Seriously, if the information is that detailed and important, lay it out in a proper format. Invest as much energy in presenting it as you want the reader to put into reading it!

There is so much more we can talk about but just using this simple 3-Paragraph Rule can revolutionize your email, save you time and make you look fabulous in our digital world.  We have seen organizations completely change through working with this and other communication strategies that make us all more responsible, attractive and efficient. Just as a final motivator, people who write long emails and copy in the world are losers. If that is you, then email me, copy in as many people as you like and I’ll happily delete it … or perhaps now is the right time to adopt the 3-Paragraph Rule : )

©John Gardiner (written 24 Sept 2014)