So you've received an email from your boss with the comment "FYI" at the top of the email trail with a subject even more obscure "catch-up with". So he dutifully goes through the email trail trying to understand the context and significance of why your boss I wanted to read it. Go through the attachments and try to extrapolate this is relevant and then try to deduce what is exactly the action required of you. 5-10 minutes later you have decided you have read enough and if it were that important, someone will eventually ask you to do something.
Do you feel uncertain. So you keep a copy of the email, or tag, or put a "read later" folder just in case. Now multiply this effort with hundreds of emails that you will receive every day and you can see how fast you eat your day. What is worse, is a vicious circle-forward email to your colleagues and subordinates with his own formulation "FYI". This is normal lazy and wasteful communication.
If you have already invested time and effort to analyze the communication you received, it would be more productive for the people from going through the same pain of replacement? Wouldn't it be good to have a simple test that can be used to verify the effectiveness of your communication? My answer- S C A Q *. (* derived from the framework communication http://www.barbaraminto.com/by Barbara Minto.)
The acronym stands for situation, complication, question and answer. Each piece of communication they prepare, if an email, a presentation or a paper proposal should have this contained in the first two or three paragraphs.
So here's how to apply it.:
Situation: my communication sets out the situation clearly so people understand if you apply them or not. This helps filter the people concerned on the issue, saving time and effort.
(S) XYZ SW version 4.3 has been delayed.
Complication: has my communication transmitted what has changed in the situation that creates a sense of urgency for people to pay more attention and be prepared to take some action tomorrow? (C) members involved in pre-sale moto can offer functionality will not be available.
Question: I have framed my question that there is no ambiguity as to what the player should be looking? This prevents the player from second guessing what should be the questions. It also helps to validate the completeness of response that should provide. (Q) what are the new features in the new release and what is the revised release date?
Answer: you have already framed the issue then you must provide the complete answer to this question. This can be as long as need be. (A) time and columns are the key new features of the new version. The release date is now Q4 2014.
The entire email now reads:
4.3 SW version XYZ has been delayed. Employees involved in pre-sale moto may be offering functionality will not be available.
What are the new features in the new version and what is the release date changed? And Time columns are the new key features of the new version. The release date is now Q4 2014. For more details, please read the attached document.
Compares this short but pointless:
Kind regards. Refer to attached.
Now take a look at an email that they were going to send and make a "SCQA" on it! Send me your before and after release. Happy to talk at all.
Renato Manongdo is a consultant of Teradata sector ANZ with extensive experience in customer service in financial services, insurance and healthcare industries.
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