The 2 C’s of Email Communication

Lately, my life seems to flow through my inbox, and I’ve started to think about how I can improve the experience, no matter what the platform.  The CC line is low hanging fruit in this regard, especially since it seems to have lost its way these days.

For many people, the CC line is where you put “extra” people because you don’t want to clutter up the TO line.  For others it’s a Fight Club for passive-aggressive power plays. For the most part, though, CC’s simply fail to set clear expectations for what you want people to do.

I have a rule, and I let everyone know about it.  Three weeks ago I put the following line in my signature, above my contact information:

Please Note:
If you are CC’d: this email is only for your information and requires no action on your part.

This gives people in the CC line license to read and trash without a second thought. Since then, my emails are read more, answered faster, and I get fewer extraneous responses.  I’ve also noticed more people adopting my approach.

By clearly setting expectations, I save time for everyone, but most importantly I save it for myself.