Association Leadership - March/April 2012 - (Page 11)
60 -SECOND CAN USE NOW THERE ARE HOW MANY APPS? • There are now more than 1 million apps • The 2008 app universe was 8,000 • There were 100,000 apps by December 2009 • 500,000 apps appeared by January 2011 • About 15,000 apps were introduced per week in November 2011 Source: New York Times, Dec. 12, 2011. ❯❯ QUICK INFORMATION YOU SOLUTIONS LIFE CYCLE OF A VOLUNTEER Individuals who volunteer to serve in association leadership positions go through very clear stages. In stage one, volunteers have great enthusiasm for recruiting but are not very familiar with their responsibilities. In the second stage, the board member often becomes comfortable and it becomes easier to determine if they would be well-suited to serve on the association’s executive committee. During the third stage, board members who have continued for more than three years are likely to become either very valuable very disruptive. For this reason, it is ideal for board members to serve two to three years before retiring. Source: Hospitality 1st (12/01/11) 10 GOLDEN RULES FOR WRITING THE PERFECT EMAIL 6. CHECK THE ADDRESS Always make sure you are sending emails to the right person. It’s so easy to press the send button, only to discover your message is heading straight to the desk of the very person you don’t want to see it. Be especially careful about the content. You never know who may unwittingly forward your email. 1. HONE YOUR SUBJECT LINE Try to be more specific. Instead of giving your email the name “Byrne project,” call it “Byrne project: new deadline for phase 2.” Your email is already more interesting than most. 7. BEHAVE YOURSELF Avoid sensitive subject areas such as sex, race, religion and disabilities. Apart from being inappropriate email topics, especially in the workplace, you could find yourself in a lot of trouble over them. You may not think you are causing any harm, but others may think differently. You could end with a discrimination claim against you. 2. DON’T BURY THE LEAD If you want to annoy people, make them read three paragraphs before you get to the point. If you want to rise in the company, state your purpose in the first sentence or two and then get to the why and how of the matter. 8. STOP COPYING IN EVERYBODY All you’re doing is irritating people who are not directly involved in the project. 3. REQUEST FURTHER ACTION End emails with a suggestion or a request for action. An example would be: “I will call you on Monday at 10 a.m. to discuss this” or “When can we get this done?” Otherwise, nothing is likely to happen. 9. PICK UP THE PHONE If you have to spend more than 5 minutes on an email, call instead. It’s easier to explain things on the phone and you can always follow up with a shorter email to confirm the details. In some cases, it might be even better to make face-to-face contact. 4. BE HUMAN People who would never dream of being cold and abrupt in person often come across that way in emails. Being businesslike doesn’t mean being impersonal. Try to remember that the recipient, like you, is a human being. 10. SKIP THE REDUNDANT If all you have to say in your e-mail reply is “Thanks!” refrain from sending it. You’re just clogging an inbox. Source: Reader’s Digest Magazine, Dec. 20, 2011 5. PROOF YOUR EMAIL Just one misspelling, grammatical error or typo can make a sender look careless and disrespectful. Sending clean emails lifts you above the sloppy crowd. Read the digital version at www.naylornetwork.com/tse-nxt 11
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