{"id":53145,"date":"2007-07-31T13:56:53","date_gmt":"2007-07-31T18:56:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/michaelhyatt.com\/?p=127"},"modified":"2007-07-31T13:56:53","modified_gmt":"2007-07-31T18:56:53","slug":"how-to-get-a-faster-response-to-your-e-mail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/how-to-get-a-faster-response-to-your-e-mail\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get a Faster Response to Your E-mail"},"content":{"rendered":"

I <\/span>often hear people complain about how long it takes to get a response to e-mail. Sometimes, to be sure, it is because the recipient is inept. The sender\u2019s request languishes in the recipient\u2019s overflowing inbox.<\/p>\n

\"speedy<\/p>\n

But sometimes, the request itself is the problem. Here\u2019s what you can do on your end<\/em> to insure a faster response:\n<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Put the person\u2019s name in the TO field.<\/strong> The CC field won\u2019t cut it. If you expect someone to respond, make sure you have addressed the e-mail to them. I get so many e-mails now that I have set up an e-mail rule to filter out messages on which I am only CC\u2019d. I automatically assume that these are \u201cfor information only.\u201d This automated rule moves messages to my \u201cCC\u201d folder and marks them as read, so they don\u2019t continue to distract me. I only go through this folder once a week or so.\n<\/ol>\n

    <\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Limit your message to one subject.<\/strong> Good managers practice David Allen\u2019s<\/a> \u201ctwo-minute rule\u201d when it comes to processing e-mail. This rule says, \u201cif you can do the action requested in the e-mail in two minutes or less, do it now. If not, put it on your task list for later.\u201d The key then is to make it easy for the recipient to respond now<\/em>. If you clutter up your e-mail message with several subjects, it makes it easier for the recipient to procrastinate. So it is preferable to send multiple e-mails, each with a discrete subject, than send one e-mail with multiple subjects.\n<\/li>\n
    2. Tell them what you need in the first sentence.<\/strong> Don\u2019t make the recipient wade through a long e-mail to get to the request. Put it at the top of the message and then let them decide if they need more information. For example, the other day, I got an interview request. The sender went on and on about their magazine\u2014the company\u2019s history, the market demographics, the circulation, etc. I had no idea why this information was relevant to me and almost deleted it. Then, after two pages of information, they asked me for the interview. Don\u2019t make this mistake. Get to the point.\n<\/li>\n
    3. Keep the message short.<\/strong> Again, remember the two-minute rule. If it takes longer than two minutes for the recipient to read your message, it will likely get set aside. In fact, they may never get back to it! So, keep it short. I like the advice<\/a> some people are now giving: keep your message to five sentences or less. If it takes more than this, you should seriously consider another method of communication (e.g. a phone call, meeting, formal report, etc.)\n<\/li>\n
    4. Tell them if your request is urgent or time-sensitive.<\/strong> People need help prioritizing. Most people want to be helpful. If you tell them it is urgent, they will try to comply. But\u2014and be warned\u2014if you do this too often, they will start ignoring you. If a request is time-sensitive but not urgent (e.g., I don\u2019t need it now, but I do need it by the end of the week), I state exactly when I need it. I then track the request in my task management system, so I can be sure to follow-up.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      These suggestions won\u2019t work with people who are truly incompetent. But if you follow these recommendations, at least you will know you have done everything you can on your end.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      I often hear people complain about how long it takes to get a response to e-mail. Sometimes, to be sure, it is because the person they are waiting on is inept. The simplest request gets lost in a sea of unprocessed e-mail.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[827,90,1670,503,30,1180],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Get a Faster Response to Your E-mail | Full Focus<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/how-to-get-a-faster-response-to-your-e-mail\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Get a Faster Response to Your E-mail | Full Focus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I often hear people complain about how long it takes to get a response to e-mail. 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