He and a sociologist named, Eric Klinenburg have been traveling around doing a show that examines modern dating relationships, namely the role texting plays in their development. They interview people on stage about their relationships and gather data on what kind of text messages build or destroy relationships. Their findings state that in order for text messages to build a relationship, they must be Personal, Funny, and have a Specific Call to Action.
This has become my checklist for writing emails. Before I click Send, I always check:
Is it Personal?: Do you share anything about yourself? Are you vulnerable?
Humans are driven by empathy and a need to connect to others, EVEN IF they are communicating via text or email.
Is it Funny?: Will this make the person to laugh or smile? Are you positive?
When people laugh, they lower their guard and loosen up.
Is there a Specific Call to Action?: Why are are you reaching out? What's the point? Where is this going?
There must be a purpose to your communication.
Listen to the This American Life story here: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/559/captains-log?act=2
Below is a sample email I wrote using this method:
It's that time of year again...back to school time!!! For me, this season always brings back memories of brown paper book covers, the smell of pencil shavings (do kids even use wooden pencils anymore?), and my Batman backpack.
I am excited to share with you our Fall Boot Camp offerings to prepare your students for the Sept & Oct ACT tests. Attached you will find our Email/Newsletter and Flyer.
Can you please pass this along to your Junior and Senior parents and students?
I am so excited to make this the best school year yet by boosting ACT scores!! Thanks for all your help.
I think this email sounds good but I'm not sure you can apply Aziz Ansari's method towards all emails.
ReplyDeleteBethany! So good to hear from you. I hope the baby is sleeping through the night. Why do they say, "I slept like a baby"? Do they mean they woke up every 2 hours to scream, eat, and poop? The saying should be, "I slept very different from a baby."
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I'm curious what occasions you think this idea doesn't apply to. Please reply explaining your exceptions.
There is definitely a case for staying "transactional" for some occasions (i.e. inner office emails, logistics emails, etc). However, this is a great method to not only get your email noticed, but to get some kind of reciprocal action. I would highly recommend this method anytime you are trying to connect with someone and get them to do something. Even beyond the email marketing I do for work, I have used this to successfully get my fan mail read on my favorite podcast and connect with an old friend to stay in their vacation home for a weekend!!
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