How to Be a More Productive Technical Writer
Post by Ivan
Walsh. Follow me on
Twitter.
 If you run your own
technical writing business, then every minute
counts. And, it’s no different if you work for someone else. Lost time
is
lost money. Email is great for generating business but when it takes
over your day, then it becomes a problem.
Help me answer every email in the same biz
day!’ I got this from a good friend a while back and this is
what I wrote back to her.
17 Ways to Write, Respond, and Process 85 Emails a Day
‘I get approx 85 emails a day. 120 is high. 50 low. I run 7
sites. Most of my customers are in the US but I have others in
the UK, across Europe and in Australia. So, emails are always coming in.
Here’s what I do:
1. Don’t Park – I try to push each email to
completion; that means no ‘parking’. Once I open it, I see if I
can finish it then and there. I don’t want to see it a second time. Hat
tip to
Tim Ferris.
2. Guilt — Don’t feel guilty about writing short,
accurate emails as long as you address the key points. Just
because you get a 500 word email, doesn’t mean you need to write 500
words back! You don’t have to reply like for like. Knowing this
made a huge difference as I felt free to write one line emails that
answered the question and then moved on.
3. Word count – Aim to reduce your word count. Say
it in one word, not three. Write use, not utilize. Move, not migrate.
4. Deadwood — Drop non-words such as
actually, as a matter of fact, in the event of, due to the fact
that, and other fillers. Also,
remove acronyms and oxymorons such as pre-meeting
(meeting is fine).
5. Consolidate — I’ve closed down my Hotmail account
and moved other accounts into one master Gmail account. Less time lost
logging in and out. And more secure too. Here’s
how to read your Gmail emails offline.
6. Touch Type — I learnt to touch type as a teenager
(and do shorthand) so I can type fairly quickly. This helps me run thru
emails that bit faster.
7. Microsoft Word — I write longer emails in Word,
use the built-in features such as auto-completion,
auto-correct and then paste into the email client. It’s so
much
faster. Word is great when you learn how it really works.
8. Delete Folders — I rarely use them. I don’t store
emails for a rainy day. I used too until my account got deleted by
accident. Most of what I had ‘collected’ was of zero use.
If it’s that valuable, store it somewhere safe.
The more you have, the more you have to manage.
9. Train Customers — I ‘train’ my staff and
customers to answer emails the right way. I know that may sound extreme
but very few of us have been trained (really trained!) to communicate.
It’s not their fault. And no one has shown them how to do it better.
Enter Ivan!
Here’s an example:
Instead of asking
“Will it be ready?”, (an open ended question)
I write:
‘Can you confirm it will be ready by Friday?’ (I’m looking for a
specific date, time, or confirmation)
In other words, I’m training them to give me the information I need
to push the task to completion. My goal is to get to completion as soon
as possible.
10. Subject Line — I use the subject line in the
email to ask, confirm or agree with the email’s request. Others have now
got into the habit. Many staff ask/respond to emails in the subject line
only. Really speeds things up.
11. Help the Reader — Don’t group several
ideas/questions in the same paragraph. People read in a hurry.
Help the reader reply to your email by:
- Pulling out the key points,
- Use bold when necessary, and
- Red if it’s really critical.
- Don’t go over-board but a single bolded in red will get the
reader’s attention.
12. Use Bullets – for longer emails, I
bullet point and/or number the key points. This makes it easier
for the reader to see what I need answered.
‘Let’s see, Ivan has these five questions. I’ll start at the top and
work my way down.’
13. Ignore FYIs – I rarely respond to or read FYIs.
Most is information pollution and people covering
their… Status Reports are fine; that’s where the relevant information
should be. Also, if you ignore FYIs, and don’t respond, they stop
sending them.
14. Meetings with Me Only — I book meeting rooms
just for me. Then I spend an hour in there ‘processing’ emails.
I really try not to check email when doing this (I’m human after all)
but to process things and get them to the next step.
15. Good Surfing Habits — This is more to do with
time-saving. I don’t surf the web without an aim (well,
almost. Those ninja cats can be real fun). Instead, I use
Google Reader, which pulls in (and shares) my fav sites, so I don’t
have to go hunting them down. It also shows if/where there is a new
article. And, I’ve setup folder/topics and read the most important sites
first.
16. Team Effort — I also try to get the team into
the same mindset. The best way to get them onside is to show them how
this saves time and makes their life easier.
17. Use the Phone — finally, be creative.
You don’t have to use email all the time. If it’s quicker pick up the
phone or print it out and walk over to your colleague. It’s a nice way
to network, look busy and get some light exercise.
One book I found really helpful is Alan Lakein’s ‘How
to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life’. He wrote this in the 70s
– before email – but his approach is very helpful. It’s a small little
book but worth the read.”
How do you manage?
Out of curiosity, how many emails do you get every day?
About the Author: Ivan Walsh shares
Technical
Communication tips for Publication Managers on
Klariti. Ivan also shares
Business Model
techniques on his Business Plan Blog
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