Techniques for Email

[Elle]

I have identified these techniques for getting something solved via email and I think they need names. I'm wondering if one strategy is always more effective or better form than the others, or if any of these are always poor form, or if it's a catch as catch can, see what works in each situation.

One strategy is to identify the person highest up the totem pole that you can legitimately hope to email and get a response from, and that you think might be able to help you with your issue (i.e. a crisis, a problem, a question, a thing that needs doing, whatever). Send the email to that person.

Another strategy is to identify that person high up, and then cc them while sending the email to the person you think might actually be responsible for doing the job.

Or you might send the email straight to the person you think does the actual job.

Or you might identify all the people who might know about the issue in any way, and email all of them as a group to see if anyone responds.

Or you might identify a whole chain of command of persons who deal with the issue, along with your own chain of command, and stack one up in the TO: line and one in the CC: line, so that everyone gets to watch as someone on the other side steps forward to deal with your issue. Or not.

Or you might seek out someone like you who has dealt with your issue before and send them the email, hoping they'll know where you go next.

Or you might send the email to your subordinate along with a request that they handle it for you.

Or you might send the email to your superior along with a request that they handle it for you, or...

[Tahlvin]

Sounds like someone needs to read Who's Got the Monkey, or One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey.

If you want a solution, e-mailing a list of people is seldom going to get you the solution. Everybody on the list will think somebody else is going to answer, so you end up getting nothing, unless one of the people happens to feel kind enough to respond. I've found what usually works well is to e-mail someone in a supervisory or subject matter expert role, explain the problem and ask who can address it, then e-mail that one person. That way, you're passing the monkey to someone else's back and it's clear who has the responsibility.

[Cazmonster]

Yep - I will email a group to get consensus, or silence, and then find somebody responsible and shove the consensus on them.

[Ronster]

[Elle]

I forgot another important one, used frequently today:
Email the person who always responds to email and always seems to have a clue what's going on, even if they are not ultimately responsible for your issue. Because they probably know what to do and you'll benefit from both the knowing, the having of a quick answer, and the having of a responsive, sane person on your side in whatever transpires next.