(11 Soft Skills)Learn Email Tips and Trick for Managing Your Inbox and Save time and Effort PART-2

Summary

This video script is part of a professional skills series focusing on effective email communication. It emphasizes the sender's responsibility to ensure messages are received and understood as intended. The speaker introduces a two-phase approach to email management, advocating for proactive strategies before crafting an email and a systematic review process upon receiving emails. Tips for senders include considering the recipient's perspective, using CC and BCC wisely, attaching necessary documents correctly, and maintaining professionalism. The script also highlights the importance of understanding company politics and the legal implications of emails, suggesting a structure for clear and concise communication. The session concludes with practical advice on following up and using email templates effectively.

Takeaways

• 😀 Manage your inbox proactively: Apply a two-phase system approach to manage emails before they are even written and after they arrive in your inbox.
• 📬 Sender's responsibility: It's crucial for the sender to ensure that the receiver understands the message as intended to avoid miscommunication.
• 👀 Preemptive strike: Take a proactive approach to manage your emails, similar to how a soldier would prepare for a situation.
• 🏥 Nurse and doctor analogy: When emails arrive, treat them like patients in an emergency room by assessing them and deciding the appropriate action.
• 🤔 Sender's perspective: Consider your position, authority, and the occasion when writing an email to ensure appropriate communication.
• 📝 Avoid unnecessary CC and BCC: Use CC and BCC wisely to include only those who need to be informed or take action.
• 💼 Attach necessary documents: Ensure to attach the correct and necessary documents to your emails, avoiding the inclusion of irrelevant information.
• 🔗 Use links for attachments: Where possible, upload documents to shared spaces like OneDrive or Google Drive and share the link in the email to save space.
• ✉️ Emails as legal documents: Be aware that emails can be official communications and may be used as legal documents, so always maintain professionalism.
• 👥 Understand your receiver: Tailor your emails based on the receiver's habits, work environment, and technology to increase the likelihood of a timely response.
• 📝 Clear structure: Use a background-analysis-proposal structure in your emails to make them clear and easy to understand for the receiver.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the video series on professional skills?

The main focus of the video series is on improving email communication skills, including managing inboxes and writing effective emails from both the sender's and receiver's perspectives.

What is the two-phase system approach mentioned in the script?

The two-phase system approach is a strategy for managing emails effectively. It involves taking a preemptive strike, managing emails before they are even written, and then deploying a strategy similar to a medical professional's approach, where you assess the situation and respond accordingly.

What does the speaker mean by 'make sure that the receiver receives and understands the message as intended'?

This means that as the sender, it's your responsibility to ensure that the message you send is not only received by the recipient but also understood in the way you intended it to be interpreted.

What is the importance of understanding the receiver's perspective when sending an email?

Understanding the receiver's perspective is crucial because it helps tailor the email in a way that is more likely to elicit a timely and appropriate response. It also helps in managing expectations regarding the response time and method.

Why is it recommended to take a preemptive strike approach to email management?

Taking a preemptive strike approach means managing your emails even before they are written by the sender. This can help in organizing your inbox, prioritizing tasks, and ensuring that you are not constantly reacting to incoming emails, which can be overwhelming and inefficient.

What are some of the strategies that can be used from a sender's perspective to improve email communication?

Strategies include understanding your position and authority, knowing your receiver's habits and work environment, using CC and BCC wisely, attaching only necessary documents, avoiding sending emails to the wrong recipients, and maintaining professionalism in all communications.

Why should one avoid using BCC in most cases when sending emails?

BCC (blind carbon copy) should be avoided because it can lead to confusion and miscommunication. It's better to use CC (carbon copy) where transparency of recipients is maintained, fostering better communication and accountability.

What is the recommended structure for writing an email according to the script?

The recommended structure for writing an email includes background, analysis, and proposal. This helps in providing context, explaining the situation, and clearly stating what actions are required or proposed.

Why is it important to verify the email addresses of both the sender and the receiver?

Verifying email addresses ensures that the email reaches the intended recipient and that your own email address is recognized and not blocked by the recipient's server due to firewalls or spam filters.

What is the advice given for following up on sent emails?

The advice given for following up on sent emails is to not expect a reply within hours and to use alternative methods of communication if necessary, such as stopping by the office or making a phone call.

How can using links to shared documents in emails be beneficial?

Using links to shared documents in emails can save space in the inbox, prevent the need for recipients to download attachments, and ensure that the most current version of the document is always accessible without the risk of losing files.

What is the recommendation regarding the use of templates when writing emails?

The recommendation is to create your own templates and use them attentively. This can save time in crafting emails and ensure a professional appearance, as the templates can be tailored to fit various communication needs.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Email Management Strategies

The speaker begins by welcoming viewers back to the channel, which focuses on teaching professional skills. They continue the series on email management from part one, where they discussed strategies for writing emails and managing the inbox. The session will cover a brief review of the communication model, reiterate the two-phase approach, and analyze sample emails to improve communication. The speaker also mentions an upcoming part three that will focus on the sender's perspective, urging viewers to watch it for a complete understanding of email management.

05:01

🛡️ Sender's Responsibility and Email Strategies

The paragraph delves into the sender's responsibility to ensure the receiver understands the message as intended. The speaker emphasizes the importance of managing the inbox proactively and revisits the two-phase system introduced in the previous session. They compare the approach to a soldier taking a preemptive strike and a nurse in an emergency room, suggesting strategies for managing emails before they are written and after they arrive. The speaker also discusses the importance of understanding the receiver's habits and work environment to expect appropriate responses.

10:02

📧 Considerations for Effective Email Communication

This section highlights the importance of understanding one's position and authority when writing an email, as well as considering the receiver's habits and preferences. The speaker advises on the appropriate use of CC and BCC to ensure the right people are informed or involved. They also stress the importance of attaching the correct and necessary documents to avoid confusion or the sharing of sensitive information. The speaker warns against sending emails to the wrong recipients due to company politics and suggests a structured approach to writing emails.

15:04

🏢 Professionalism and Legal Implications in Email Writing

The speaker discusses the professional and legal aspects of email communication. They caution against sending angry or unprofessional messages, as emails can be retrieved and used as legal documents. The advice includes waiting to respond when angry and being mindful of company politics. The paragraph also covers the importance of understanding the receiver's work environment and technology, as well as the need for clear and concise communication that outlines tasks and expectations without hidden emotional expectations.

20:06

🔗 Tips for Efficient Email Management and Follow-up

The final paragraph provides practical tips for managing emails efficiently. It includes verifying email addresses, being clear and concise, avoiding repetition of dates and names, and following up on sent emails. The speaker also recommends using email templates to save time and maintain professionalism. They advise against copying attachments into the email body and suggest using links to shared documents instead. The paragraph concludes with a reminder to check links for validity and to be patient with email responses, emphasizing the importance of follow-up.

Keywords

💡Email Management

Email management refers to the process of organizing and handling incoming and outgoing emails efficiently. In the video's theme, it is about not just writing emails but also managing the inbox effectively to stay on top of communications. The script mentions a 'two-phase system' approach to email management, suggesting a proactive strategy for handling emails even before they are received.

💡Communication Model

A communication model is a theoretical framework that explains the process of how information is exchanged between a sender and a receiver. The video emphasizes the sender's responsibility to ensure that the receiver understands the message as intended. The script refers to the communication model to highlight the importance of clear and effective email communication.

💡Sender's Perspective

Sender's perspective is the viewpoint from which the video discusses the process of composing and sending emails. It involves considering the sender's position, authority, and the relationship with the recipient. The script provides insights into how to write emails from the sender's perspective, taking into account factors like company politics and the receiver's habits.

💡Preemptive Strike Approach

The preemptive strike approach, as mentioned in the script, is a strategy where the sender manages their emails proactively, similar to how a soldier would prepare for an attack. This involves taking control of the inbox and planning responses before emails are even written, showcasing a forward-thinking approach to email management.

💡Action Items

Action items are specific tasks or steps that need to be taken as a result of the email communication. The script advises to clearly state any action items in the email, including who is responsible for what, and by when, to ensure that the email serves its purpose in driving action.

💡CC and BCC

CC (Carbon Copy) and BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) are features used in email communication to include additional recipients. The video script explains the importance of using CC and BCC wisely, ensuring that only relevant parties are included in the email chain to avoid information overload and maintain privacy.

💡Attachments

Attachments are files or documents included in an email to provide supplementary information. The script highlights the importance of attaching the correct and necessary documents to an email and warns against attaching too many files or the wrong document, which can lead to confusion or miscommunication.

💡Professionalism

Professionalism in the context of the video refers to maintaining a professional tone and demeanor in email communication, even when frustrated. The script advises against sending angry or unprofessional messages via email, as these can have lasting repercussions, including potential legal issues.

💡Email Structure

Email structure refers to the organization of the content within an email. The script suggests a specific structure consisting of background, analysis, and proposal to make emails clear and effective. This structure helps the receiver understand the context, the sender's thoughts, and the proposed actions or requests.

💡Templates

Templates are pre-designed formats that can be used to create consistent and professional-looking emails. The video script recommends creating and using personal email templates to save time and ensure that emails appear professional. However, it also advises being attentive and not to rely on templates blindly.

Highlights

Introduction to the professional skills series focusing on emails, part two.

Reiteration of the two-phase approach to email management from part one.

Emphasis on the sender's responsibility in the communication model to ensure the message is received and understood as intended.

Discussion on managing the inbox proactively before emails are even written.

The importance of adopting a nurse-like strategy to assess incoming emails and respond accordingly.

Analysis of a sample email from a student requesting lecture slides, with a call for comments on its effectiveness.

The significance of understanding one's position and authority when writing an email.

Advice on avoiding unnecessary emails and considering alternative communication methods.

Importance of knowing the receiver's habits and work environment to tailor email communication effectively.

Recommendation to use CC and BCC wisely, considering the receiver's need to know and act.

Highlighting the common mistake of forgetting to attach documents or sending incorrect ones.

Advice on attaching only necessary documents to avoid overwhelming the receiver with information.

Warning about the potential legal implications of emails and the importance of professionalism.

Suggestion to structure emails with a clear background, analysis, and proposal for effective communication.

Recommendation to understand the receiver's schedule and technology access to manage expectations for response times.

Emphasis on the importance of clarity, conciseness, and avoiding hidden tasks or emotions in emails.

Tip to avoid repeating dates, names, and attachment names to prevent confusion if changes are made.

Advice on following up on emails and verifying email addresses to ensure communication is received.

Recommendation to use shared links for attachments instead of sending files directly to save space and simplify access.

Suggestion to use email templates attentively to save time and maintain a professional appearance.

Conclusion of part two with a teaser for part three, focusing on activities to improve email communication.

Transcripts

hello welcome back to the channel fun

online teaching and learning

We are continuing with our professional

skills series

and this is part two about emails in

part one I recommended you to apply some

strategies for your emails I told you

just not to think about writing emails

how to best write the sentences but how

to manage your inbox in today's

session

we're going to talk about again

communication model just a little bit

and then I'll reiterate my two-phase

approach this is my Approach make sure

you find out your approach and we're

going to check some emails and see how

can we do it better

I'll give you pretty good ideas and and

some takeaways

we will do another part three about

sender's perspective so make sure after

today's video make sure to watch the

part three which is the last part about

senders

so if you remember the communication

model this is how we started the email

recordings right it's your

responsibility as a sender to make sure

that the receiver receives and

understand the message as intended

so this means a lot sorry so this

sentence has a lot of meaning

and I want you to check the first

session about emails where we discuss

about this I'll provide you the link

below in the description

if you're intending to respond emails

when they show up in your inbox you're

so late you are so late you're just

pulling out fires it requires more than

that it requires you managing your inbox

in the previous recording emails part 1

I proposed that two-phase systems

approach and I talked about them I'm

just gonna touch base on them again I

highly recommend you to watch the

previous video take a preemptive strike

approach first like a soldier

and manage your emails even before they

are written they are crafted by the

sender what does that mean

we're gonna talk about this when we have

the

session about receiver's perspective

I'm gonna show you about all these

strategies that you see on here

the second one I want you to deploy as a

strategy is three as what you got

just like a nurse like a doctor when you

go to hospital emergency room you know

what do they do they take your vitals

they put you in a room and then they

tell you to make some tests maybe some

get some x-rays done

and then with all the data collected

they tell you what to do and which

doctor to see

just when the emails hit your inbox I

want you to be like a nurse and a doctor

and I'm gonna mention all the strategies

that you see here

in the receivers recording next session

so here are a few pretty good ideas for

sender's perspective

okay

but before that

let's paint this picture

so read this one and then think about if

this is good or bad what's what kind of

uh good parts do you see and what kind

of bad parts do you see

all right my exam is in five days and

I'm wondering if you will be able to

find time to email the slides of the

lecture I missed I'm sorry for

disturbing your busy schedule and regret

any inconveniences cost what are some of

the things that you liked about this

email what are some of the things that

you think could be better in this email

please comment below by the way if you

didn't subscribe yet please subscribe to

channel to follow up with this series of

professional skills you will have very

valuable information in these recordings

so sender's perspective

first of all think about who are you

okay you're writing an email and what's

your position what's your Authority who

are you are you the boss of the one that

is gonna receive your email is she your

boss what is the occasion

what's happening in here right

so these are the things that I want you

to to think about all right who are you

and why are you writing this email as

you know by now I'm a systems guy I want

to look at things high level from a

holistic perspective

so I'm also a y guy I always want to

know why I'm doing something before what

and how before what am I gonna do and

how am I gonna do it I want to know what

is why and I try to formulate the Y okay

so why are you writing this email what I

mean here is can you avoid the email can

you just you know Scream the other side

of the hallway can you just knock the

door and tell them in the office okay so

why are you writing this email

to whom are you writing it to okay do

you use two CC and BCC appropriately are

the are they are the receivers that

you're gonna put in the two ccbcc

do they really want to know do they

really

are the ones who need to take take those

emails receive those emails right so you

have to think about this perspective

I also encourage you to learn about your

receiver which I will talk about

receiver in the next sessions what is

your receiver's habit for responses what

do I mean

please comment below if you ever had a

boss that hates that hates responding

emails

I had such bosses okay when they receive

an email they don't read you need to

call them and tell them that you send

them an email and then they look it up

right and then they don't send the

response they just tell you something to

do right so

what is your receiver's habits for

responses

maybe they are not turning on their

computers maybe you're working in a

construction zone and your boss doesn't

have access to emails very often so

don't expect a quick response so make

sure what is your receiver's habits what

are their you know work environment what

are their tools and Technologies so this

makes a big sense when you're writing

your emails because you're expecting

results You're Expecting replies and

responses right so this absolutely helps

use two CC and BCC wisely and know about

the relationships hope you know what

what does that mean so two are usually

the people that you want to act on the

email if there's any actions well there

should be an exercise so why are we

writing the emails in the first place so

CC are not usually the action but we

won't inform them they want to be in the

loop right and BCC is

it's blind carbon copy so you if you put

anybody in BCC

to two NCC will not see this BBC I

really don't recommend you using BCC

much okay

so just use 2ncc if you want to see if

you want to send the email to someone

and you don't want others to see who are

you sending just after you send the

email like regularly tools and CC using

2 and CC just forward the same email to

BCC and let him know that you already

send email to other team that's more

appropriate

well that's the document right every

email most most of them has some

attachments it's important part of

writing an email attach the document how

many times did you forget

attaching the email

it's very common but how many times did

you attach the wrong document correct

how many times did you send your

business secrets to it to someone else

to a competitor

okay so make sure you attach the

document make sure you attach the

correct document

even more I want to recommend you to

only attach the necessary document

don't don't behave attachments as a

trash or as a you know as a car purchase

or a sack to put in everything

okay just depending on what you write in

the email include just necessary people

in two and CC and also attach the

necessary document

okay you wanna you don't want to bombard

them with the

unnecessary information unnecessary

documents that you're gonna change later

maybe you don't want these documents to

be in in customers hands because you you

change them often so make sure when you

attach the document it's really

necessary and it's the correct document

let's continue do not send wrong

receivers okay well you don't know who

is married to whom what's the company

politics so always always check your two

NCC and what do you say in the email and

your attachment

actually I'm gonna recommend you a

structure how to write about your email

uh there may be Furby regulations there

may be business secrets that you don't

want to disclose you don't want to share

you know with other people with the

third party so these are really

important

this will make a legal struggle for you

it means are official Communications and

what I mean is really their official

Communications they are like

uh you know

official Communications with the company

official Communications with two units

and Department of people

even the courts behave emails like legal

documents

even though you don't you know let's say

you had a problem and and your company

will be able to pull out all of your

emails from the server

so even though you say hey I didn't send

them an email

you know they are telling they're not

telling the truth and stuff they will be

able to plot your emails from the server

so there's no point

you shouldn't you shouldn't send any

angry messages through emails

always be professional kind and

respectful even when frustrated as I

mentioned and explained in the previous

recording

I said the emails like hand grenades

they are destructive they are lethal

they come out of blue

I know you will receive some some of

these emails okay

you'll be really angry but don't please

don't reply those emails when you are in

your angry mode on

just wait a few hours what I do is I I

sleep on them one night okay wake up in

the morning and read the email again

and if you have to give a response give

a professional response because you

never know

when this email will end up okay you

talk to a people in the room and then

nobody will hear it maybe you know they

can really forward the conversation to

someone else they can just tell it

change it whatever they want to do but

if only they do it so emails are not

like that they are easily shareable they

they may end up you know a lawyer's desk

or a boss a manager's desk or who who

knows right

so be always be careful and mindful

about company politics

emails are usually not between you and

me okay so remember I told you the

companies can pull out all your emails

from your server

you'll contact me forward to the others

very easily

so let's let's talk about the Practical

uh and useful idea about emails

would I recommend you to use this

structure

always have a you know

why in your mind writing your email

always think about why am I writing this

email and then

uh you know formulate your structure

whatever is good best suits for your

situation and your company and your

position what is the background what I

mean is what happened what's the

background the reason for the email

okay what's the background and the

second thing is analysis

So based on this background that you

gave me what's your analysis what are

you thinking what are you seeing what is

happening what are the possible

consequences what will happen if we

don't act

when you tell me your analysis now do

the proposal

what are you proposing what's your

solution what do you need what do I

request what should I do for you what

actions do I do I need to take okay so

background analysis proposal if you have

this structure uh we didn't cover the

receiver side for now but in this in the

next series of uh recordings you will

find the receiver

receivable perspective so the receiver's

job will be really easy because they

will be they will be receiving millions

of emails okay

well literally right billions maybe

through five years or ten years or

something but yeah so uh this will make

your job their job easy as a receiver

and they will respond you faster with a

quality response hopefully timely manner

let's continue with the tips and tricks

understand who is your receiver is are

they busy is this a generic email is

this an office email is she your friend

see your your friend right if he's a is

he your family within your family one of

your family members understand who is

your receiver as I said in in a few

minutes before

is that if maybe they work in a

construction zone in a lab maybe the

phones and computers are not allowed

right so what understand who is your

receiver because sometimes we get so

emotional with our emails when we send

an email which is really easy to send

we always expect a response in a few

hours not everybody's schedule and

technology and habits are like yours so

always follow up your job is not to wait

for the response your job is

to get the communication across and have

the response in any other ways as well

maybe you can just stop by the office or

on or phone them right so you can do all

these things

verify their email address and your

email address too maybe your email goes

to their trash their maybe the firewall

prevents your email going into in there

for example in DOD mode right so a lot

of the emails don't don't arrive to them

because there are firewalls they are

really strict in information

uh security infosec so your email will

not go and you will always think oh

they're not responding my emails well

they even didn't receive the email but

you never know so don't get really

emotional on this kind of uh situations

and always follow up verify their email

is it an office email is it a generic

email if if that person's email change

maybe he left the company right so you

never know so always verify the emails

make sure they have your email address

okay be clear concise and to the point

muda is waste so get rid of the waste in

your structure again what is the

background what's your observation and

what's the proposal

what's your what are you proposing so

this structure is really well done I'm

gonna recommend you in a few minutes as

well also have to you know start and

complete any and and fully email

no hidden tasks or hidden emotional

expectations don't just throw the email

out and then expect the receiver

to get your emotions don't hide your

emotions in your emails okay don't hide

any tasks just clearly and in a concise

manner and to the point tell them

what are the tasks who's gonna do the

task when is the test gonna be done okay

don't get emotionals don't expect them

to get emotions when they get your email

one of the things I I really want I

really find useful is I I don't wanna I

don't want you to repeat the dates names

and attachment names in the document

because let's start from the to their

very last one if you if you repeat the

attachment type let's say you say hey

are you attached to hospital policy

about the emergency room and then you'll

test it right and then all of a sudden

at the end of the email you want you

change your attachment but it's still in

the text correct so when you change your

attachment when you add more then you're

gonna go back into text and change the

attachment name so also don't repeat

names and don't repeat dates

don't repeat them twice because if if

anyhow you want to change one of those

and you may forget to change the others

okay so the receiver will be confused

and you will have a lot of follow-up

emails

your email may end up someone else's

inbox you never know a lawyer manager

CEO okay

so sender's perspective uh by the way if

you have any recommendations any best

practices that you are doing please

comment below and also subscribe the

channel to get notified

with the you know following recordings

also if you like I'll be able to reach

to more people

write any action item requires who's

gonna do what when and where okay well

if you also include y I'll be really

happy because I'm a white person

right any action item requires don't

hide any tasks don't hide emotions okay

so emails are legal documents beware of

firewalls Blacklist trash and filters we

already mentioned that check their email

check your email check what kind of

servers and firewalls they have they

probably have some policies what kind of

emails can get into their server so make

sure you know these things

replace your attachment with links when

necessary so instead of sending

attachments

send links if your company is using

tools like OneDrive Google Drive

SharePoint this kind of stuff always

prefer to you know upload the attachment

on those shared spaces and then give the

link in the emails yeah in the email

okay what's going to happen is your

inbox will not fill up really quickly or

you will save your memory memory the

receiver will also say memory if they

want to download it they will not lose

the file but if they know the link is

there

just they will just click the link and

they don't have to download anything

they don't have to look for the

documents in at later times for a

referral one one caveat here is

uh if you're using like a Blog Page or a

YouTube channel or anything like that

the links may be broken so always always

check your links

before sending okay if those links are

the ones that you're always using make

sure you're still they are still up to

date and they are still valid other than

that no caveat here just use the

company's shared spaces to send

documents to save space and to get rid

of the hassle of looking for it later

do not copy or rephrase the attachments

meeting minutes in the email for example

if you're attaching the meeting minutes

don't give them don't copy and paste

them in the in the text in the email

just say meeting minutes attached please

read and respond

don't say meeting when it's attached you

know this will do this and then that

will do that so if your response if your

purpose is just disseminate the meeting

minutes just attach it and then say here

is the meeting minutes please read it

carefully

okay

if you want to do if you want to come up

with secondary jobs out of this meeting

minutes

then attach it and then clearly say you

know the things that are not in the

meeting minutes these the new things

including the box in the email

I think I explained this a lot do not

expect to a reply within hours and

always follow up now you know it use

templates but be attentive I always

recommend you to create your own

templates and use them attentively okay

this will save you a lot of time

crafting your email

and also they look professional because

you spend time trying to come up with

them and then they look more

professional

so this concludes the second part

of the email

communication from a sender's

perspective

I'm gonna see you in the next recording

for part three and we will do some good

activities in the recording thank you

for being here please like And subscribe

and turn on the notifications to be

aware of the next recording