Help Your Readers by Letting Them Know the Importance of Your Message

No, I’m not talking about adding those exclamation points. 

But don’t leave your correspondents guessing about how important an issue is to you.   Leaving them guessing is likely to lead to their guessing incorrectly and there can be a huge difference between needing something ASAP, needing it tomorrow and needing it eventually.  It can also give certain people an excuse not to reply in a timely manner or at all-- “Really, you wanted those numbers this year?” I’m not saying that you need to create a fire drill every time you send out a request, but do try to give a realistic sense of your expectations.  If something actually is an emergency, let your readers know.  If the rush is your fault, feel free to apologize; you might be surprised how much that can help.  On the other hand, don’t create false deadlines or exaggerate the importance of your issue.  Once people figure out what you’re doing (and you can bet that they will) you’re likely to find that they’re much less willing to help you in the future.  Anyone who is in a position to ignore your requests most likely will do so if they believe that you’re crying wolf again.  Those who aren’t will just be resentful. 

It’s also a good idea to consider the time of day and whether it’s realistic to expect an immediate response at all.  Now that many of us work every day with colleagues across the country and around the world, we’re often still in the office when our co-workers are at home, in bed or enjoying a well-deserved holiday.  Believe it or not there are still a few people out there who don’t pay close attention to their email on evenings and weekends—I hear that there’s even the occasional Luddite who doesn’t have a BlackBerry or access to email outside of work. Being aware of the schedules and habits of your correspondents can help you avoid misunderstandings, rushes and missed deadlines.  I’d also suggest that it’s a good idea to avoid sending anything that needs an immediate response late in the day if it can be avoided.  But, if you find that you have to, be sure to let your recipients know if their answer can wait until the next day (or Monday if it’s the weekend).  I promise that they’ll be grateful.