You May Not Be as Influential as You Think You Are If…

Others don’t respond to your emails and texts as frequently or
quickly as you would like

People’s response to your emails and texts is based on past experience with your messages. Perhaps your emails are long and confusing, or your text messages are one continuous paragraph rather than brief sentences. Maybe your messages are so abbreviated they might as well be written in Morse code. Perhaps you include people who don’t need to be involved in the discussion. Rather than giving your emails and texts the attention you want them to have, your readers’ response may be, “Ugh, I don’t have time right now to deal with this.” Poorly written email and text messages jeopardize your influence. If your messages aren’t read, you can’t have influence.

Your natural response to this situation may be to:

• Assume your messages are being read even when you don’t receive a response.
• USE ALL CAPS in the subject line of your emails to try to grab readers’ attention.
• Send another email or text to make sure your reader received the first one.

For Influence Monday to Monday:®

• Be heard through the clutter. Before you press “send,” consider how many emails and texts your reader has received before yours. What can you do to make your message stand out from the rest?
• Be clear, concise and to the point. Respect your readers’ time. Challenge yourself to only use bullet points to communicate key ideas, recommendations and action steps. Ask a trusted peer to review your message and provide feedback on what you need to edit.
• Hang up the email or text and pick up the phone. Make an effort to call individuals rather than sending an email or text. Even if you have to leave a voicemail, you lessen the risk of miscommunication. You can follow up with an email or text for documentation.

This week’s blog is an excerpt from my new book,Influence Redefined…Be the Leader You Were Meant to Be, Monday to Monday®, which will be released in early 2017.

If you missed one of Stacey’s previous blogs on tips, visit her online. Take action today to enhance your influence by downloading our complimentary resources.