1 Apr 04 @ 12:39 am
With Email Requests, Less Is More
Attention email distribution list users: The more people to whom you send email requests for help or information, the longer it will take to get an adequate response. Why? The “diffusion of responsibility effect”:
the belief, conveyed by verbal or nonverbal communication, that others are capable of helping. Accordingly, if an e-mail sent through a discussion group is evaluated by its recipient as being sent to many individuals that are capable of responding, the diffusion of responsibility effect would imply a decreased tendency to respond.
Read more at Harvard Business School Working Knowledge, who advise managers to “keep their e-mails personalized whenever possible. It’s that simple.”
posted in category(s): Coaching Points
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