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Simple, short and wise: this is the spot for aphorisms, maxims, epigrams, mottos, adages and the like.
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Michael's Rule
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Michael's Rule:Always put any call to action in the first line of an e-mail message. Michael's Rule, stated above, is one of the more universal aphorisms that have been developed in our digital age, given that it refers specifically to electronic mail messages. But e-mail is so omnipresent in 21st century culture that there can be no question that Michael's Rule belongs in the pantheon of great aphorisms. Of course, Michael's Rule falls into the cautionary or instructive category of aphorisms, which advise people of proper conduct, as opposed to those sayings that have gained acceptance through observation of a common condition (observation aphorisms, such as "A Fool and His Money are soon parted") or expressions that, while not universal to the human condition, are catchy enough that they have become common sayings, usually from literature and often apocryphal (quotations, such as "Give me Liberty, or give me death!"). Michael's Rule instructs us in an important lesson: if you want to get someone to do something via e-mail, you need to put that request in the first line of your message. Simple, yes, but the vast majority of e-mail traffic doesn't follow Michael's Rule, to the detriment of the sender and any recipients. The reality is that most people who use computers regularly receive far more e-mail messages than they can read at leisure or even with full attention. So people have developed habits of skimming messages for salient points. The only sure way, Michael tells us, to make sure that the message gets across, is to put it in the very first line. It's not to say that you can't add more detail in the rest of the body of the message, but if you don't have at least a good summary of the gist of your message in the first line, it's almost certain that your readers will miss it. We as humans have different ways of communicating, and years ago the Michael of Michael's Rule was wise enough to realize that people naturally read e-mail messages very differently than most people write them. When we write, we tend to think of the communication as either like a note written by hand, or like a conversation. With both hand-written notes and dialogues, the recipient is usually inclined to remain engaged long enough to hear the whole message, so when writing e-mail messages like that, most people tend to put important points later in the message, after a long build-up, whether of reasoned arguments, a natural progression of topics, or neither. Michael's Rule informs us that this is the wrong way to go - no matter how impassioned or flawless your argument, the message will likely be lost if you don't put a brief summary or call to action in the first line. The best way I've found to apply Michael's Rule is to practice the habit of reviewing your message after writing it, and then adding the summary/call to action before clicking "send". Here's an example: Ed is writing a message to Sara, replying to a personal message she wrote to him (yes, Michael's Rule applies to ALL e-mail!). Here's what he would naturally write: ************************** Sara: >I got your message. I thought for a long time >whether I should respond or not, but in the end >I decided that I had to let you know how you hurt >me the other night by not returning my calls. I really apologize for not calling you. It's not an excuse, but I feel I should explain that I've been very busy at work lately, and then my brother came into town unexpectedly (you know what a deadbeat he can be), needing a place to stay. I want to talk to you, but haven't had the time for a phone call of any length at any time you'd actually be at home. I guess I've been saving it up, waiting for a time that we could have a real conversation. Again, I'm dreadfully sorry - I never want to hurt you, and it rips me up that you might be mad at me. >I don't see how you can justify cutting off all >contact with me like that, and act like I don't >even exist. It hasn't been like that, I swear! I've actually picked up the phone a dozen times, wanting to share with you what's been happening, but invariably my brother will barge in, looking to borrow some money or have me drive him somewhere. Since partly I want to vent my frustrations with him to you, I can't really do that call while he's around. But I would like to get together soon, whether on the phone or in person. >If I don't hear from you soon, I will know that >you have abandoned me forever. At that point, >I don't know what I'll do, but whatever time I >have left will definitely be without you. I've managed to convince my brother that there's free passes to a concert at the club this Thursday night, so he'll be gone. I would love to come by to talk, or maybe go out to dinner so that I can explain and start to repair the damage I've done. What do you say? -Ed ****************************** OK, so it's a bit melodramatic, I know, but I'm making it up as I go. But Ed shouldn't click "send" yet, because he hasn't followed Michael's Rule! In all likelihood, Sara, exasperated at Ed's long-winded 'explanation' would either a) not finish reading the message, or b) would not be disposed to viewing the request for a date favorably once she finally got to it. Instead, Ed should add a line at the beginning, getting to the really important part of the message. The temptation would be to write: *************************** Sara: Please don't kill yourself! *************************** and then continue with the message. But that, while important, is also a bit condescending as well as not being the point of Ed's message. What I'd recommend is something like: **************************** Sara: Would you have dinner with me on Thursday? *************************** and then continue with the rest of the message. If Ed has any chance with Sara after all that's happened, she'll see that and be intrigued, either a) enough to respond to the question, or b) enough to read the rest of the message. In all my years of using e-mail (this year marks the twentieth), I've never yet seen an e-mail message that either did not benefit from following Michael's Rule or that could not have benefited from doing so. Michael's Rule is a great aphorism - simple, concise, and universal - one to live on. |
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