WHY YOUR EMAIL DIDN'T GET AN ANSWER People don't read emails. They scan them, decide in two seconds whether they can deal with it now, and move on. That's why the subject line matters more than the greeting. "Quick question" tells the reader nothing; "Invoice 302: missing signature" tells them everything, including how long it will take. The second rule is one request per email. If you ask for three things in one paragraph, you'll get one answer and two silences. Number them, or send two emails. The third is dates. "As soon as possible" is not a deadline, it's a hope. "By Thursday midday" is a deadline. And leave the door open at the end. "Let me know if anything is unclear" costs you five words and saves a whole exchange. Perguntas: 1. What do readers do in the first two seconds? 2. What happens when you ask for three things at once? 3. Why is "as soon as possible" a problem?

Um colega novo mostra-te um email longo, com três pedidos no meio de um parágrafo, e pergunta-te se está bom antes de enviar. Diz-lhe o que mudarias e porquê, sem o desmotivar.

Situação: precisas de três coisas da mesma pessoa (o relatório, a confirmação da sala e o contacto do cliente), e ela responde sempre a uma só. Escreve o email de forma a receberes as três respostas.