Communication

Do not reply with acknowledgments like 'OK' when someone texts that they are in a meeting.

Sending an acknowledgment creates an added interruption for the person in the meeting.

• Not replying still lets the sender know their message was received and that they are not being ignored.

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Include specific due dates and summarize key points in bold or bullets at the top of emails.

Forcing specifics without being rude leads to more responsive recipients.

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• Include a timeline or urgency level in emails so recipients know when an answer is needed.1

Put personal follow-ups in your calendar to prompt yourself weeks later.

It shows you care when you ask about their vacation or other matters.

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Always acknowledge and thank superiors (such as professors or bosses) for their assistance, even if no further action is required.

A quick thank you is courteous when someone has done something for you, like answering a question.

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Do not share the strategy of under-promising with colleagues.

It may be misinterpreted as lying about hours or effort, potentially leading to job loss.

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If you are emailing someone with a busy inbox, schedule your message to arrive at 9:15 AM when they are likely checking their morning email.

It increases the chance the notification appears while they are already engaged, making it more likely to be read.

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Be honest about your inability to do something to avoid raising hopes you cannot fulfill.

If you don't raise hopes, you can't let people down.

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Flag emails and set reminders for yourself to ensure you follow up later.

This prevents the sender from feeling forgotten.

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Consider finding alternative helpers if someone habitually says 'I’ll let you know' but never follows through.

They may be totally non-committal.

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Review action items last in meetings to ensure they are clearly defined.

This is considered good practice in well-run meetings.

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Say thanks immediately and follow up clearly and directly if someone fails to deliver on a promise.

Being direct and saying what you mean avoids manipulative behavior and ensures adults fulfill their commitments.

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Do not reply immediately to non-urgent messages; allow silence to signal that you are busy.

Lack of response can indicate busyness and reduce stress over unnecessary interactions.

• Some find immediate acknowledgment nicer to avoid awkward follow-ups asking if the message was received.

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Document important agreements in writing or with photos to prevent others from forgetting or denying their promises.

It is easy for someone to 'forget' about things they promised.

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Batch responses to notifications and alerts at specific times rather than reacting to each one individually.

Looking at multiple alerts together makes troubleshooting easier by revealing patterns that are not visible when viewing one alert at a time.

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State the request clearly upfront, offering further explanation only if the recipient cares to understand why.

One person reported receiving positive feedback for this direct approach.

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Provide a conservative time estimate for your response instead of using vague terms like 'ASAP'.

A concrete timeline manages expectations and reduces the possibility of forgetting the message.

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Avoid using red or green text for emphasis or edits due to common color blindness.

Red-green color deficiency makes it hard to read depending on the font.

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Use BCC for group emails to protect recipients' privacy and prevent reply-all chains.

It prevents sharing contact info and stops others from spamming the list via reply-all.

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Give headings to each paragraph in lengthy work emails.

It helps readers navigate the content and assists you in organizing your thoughts.

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Bold and color-code action items or specific questions in red within emails.

It helps them stand out for the recipient.

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• Create a rule to color-code emails differently based on whether you are the recipient ('To:') or just copied ('Cc:').1

When forwarding long email threads, summarize the discussion or highlight the specific part the recipient needs to address.

It is more efficient for the recipient to tell you what they need if you don't specify.

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Write emails carefully, treating them as permanent records to avoid future regret or HR issues.

Emails are forever, and you may regret what you said when HR approaches you.

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Remove all recipients from the To and CC fields when drafting long or complex replies to prevent accidental sending.

Prevents accidentally sending drafts that are sitting for a while.

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Draft emails in Notepad first.

It is a habit from dealing with crash-prone family computers.

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• Draft important emails or texts in a separate notepad application instead of the email app to reduce stress.1

Forward previously sent emails when recipients claim they did not receive them.

This proves you sent the email before and provides a CYA (cover your ass) aspect.

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Make email subject lines actionable, such as 'please approve' or 'review required'.

Generic subjects like 'question for you' are useless.

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• Include logical keywords in email subject lines to make the message easy to find in future searches.1

Include specific details like job names and dates in emails to ensure they are searchable later.

Unclear emails are difficult to find months later.

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Within your company, replace long internal emails with calls for arguments or documents for knowledge sharing.

Most long internal emails are avoidable.

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Reserve profanity and insults for in-person conversations rather than emails.

Emails serve as legal documents and are less cathartic.

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Use '@@' as a text replacement shortcut for your email address.

Shorter and less likely to be typed accidentally than other abbreviations.

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Remove modifiers like 'very', 'extremely', or 'slightly' from professional emails.

They are usually irrelevant and removing them makes your point come across more elegantly.

• In almost all circumstances

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List tasks and key action items as bullet points, using bold text if needed.

It improves readability, especially for multi-person emails or recipients who speak various languages.

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Tell the automated system you are 'returning a call' to bypass menus and reach a human.

• Some companies, like FedEx, may have updated their systems to recognize this trick.

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• Say 'let me talk with a real person', 'put me on the phone with a real human', or repeat 'human' until connected.4
• Say 'representative' or 'customer service' repeatedly when prompted by voice recognition systems.3

Type your full issue and account details in a word processor before starting a live chat, then copy and paste the text once connected.

Agents may be unable to read previous messages or fail to notice information already provided, so pasting it allows them to get straight to work.

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Do not interact with robocalls by pressing buttons or requesting callbacks, as this confirms your number is valid and may lead to it being sold to other companies.

Confirming the number is good causes it to be sold to many other companies.

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Repeatedly say 'no' loudly and clearly to each prompt in an automated system.

One person reported this resulted in a transfer to an agent.

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Choose the option to buy something or subscribe to a new service to reach the retention queue faster.

It may be quicker or less annoying depending on the company's system.

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Include the full address, including street, city, state, and zip code, when texting a location to ensure accurate mapping.

Addresses can exist in multiple cities, causing navigation errors if the city or state is omitted.

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Focus on communication in this order: face-to-face, phone call, instant message, then email.

This hierarchy definitely works.

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Transmit vital details like phone numbers, bank info, emails, and addresses in distinct messages to make copying easier.

Recipients typically copy and paste this data, and additional text hinders that process.

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Turn off notifications for most contacts, allowing only priority family members to reach you via call.

It prevents being bombarded with messages.

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Keep voicemails brief and include your phone number so recipients know who is calling and can return the call easily.

Recipients need to recognize the caller and save the number to call back when available; unrecognized numbers often go straight to voicemail.

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Be kind, polite, and clear when communicating with customer service agents rather than displaying an angry attitude.

Politeness yields better and faster responses; showing a difficult attitude makes agents less inclined to assist and may lower your priority.

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If the interface allows, enter all necessary information into the chat box while waiting in queue, as agents can often see pre-connection messages.

Some webchat systems allow agents to view messages sent while the customer is waiting.

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Double-check which reply button you click to avoid copying unintended recipients.

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