More Thoughts on Communication

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turteltaub-adam-200x200By Adam Turteltaub

In my last blog post I shared insights from Guy Kawasaki, technology guru, on effective communications.  Today I share some insights gleaned from various email gurus presenting at the conference I just attended.  What’s true for selling widgets is also true for selling compliance, at least in these cases.

Is There a Good Time to Get an Email From Compliance?  If you ask people when they want to get compliance emails, the answer may be “never” or worse.  But some times are better than others.  Ask your IT when the email servers are quietest during the work day and then try sending an email then. Also find out which days are slower for email.

A well-timed email may get more readership since it won’t be lost in the waterfall of emails falling into the inbox.

You may even be able to test the open rates of your emails by time of day and day of week.  Ask your IT people if that’s possible.  Then plan on sending your emails out at those times.

Test Your Emails, Not the Limits.  We tell people not to test the limits of the law, but there’s no reason you shouldn’t test your emails periodically.  Keep track of which ones get opened and which ones don’t.  You may find a clue in your subject lines and discover that the ones that get opened have something in common that you can start using in your other emails.

Now What Do I Do?  It’s easy when putting together a message on a critical issue to throw in a few other things.  After all, it’s email.  There’s no limit to what you write.

But remember, you want people to do something as a result of your email.  That could be to call the helpline if they see something, avoid a common mistake, be aware of a new law.  Once the email is done, ask yourself:  Have I made it clear what I expect the recipient to do?  And then ask: Did I make it simpler for them to do that?

Then ask someone on your team, or maybe outside it, what’s the main message of the email.  If they can’t tell you, it’s time to go back and revise.