American workers get hundreds of electronic messages every week. How many of those e-mails are memorable, compelling and effective? Conversely, how many times have you pressed send, only to regret that you didn’t look at it just one more time to tweak the language or the tone? Or perhaps the recipient’s reply made it abundantly clear that he or she didn’t fully understand your message—and now you have to ping pong back and forth to clarify your original message and make sure your recipient now “gets” it. Business missteps, misunderstandings, wasted time and no replies—these are just a few of the issues that are caused largely by ineffective electronic communication. I’m not the first to write about the delicate nature of e-mail communication, and I likely won’t be the last. While it is tempting to be lured into thinking an e-mail message is just like having a conversation, it isn’t. Conversations are spoken; they have the benefit of tone of voice and inflection, and if someone misunderstands, there is the opportunity for instant clarification. This is always a critical distinction from the written word, where nuances in voice inflection that convey a tongue-in-cheek “I’m just kidding,” or a dead-serious “I really mean this,” obviously don’t exist. E-mail messages are more likely to be taken very literally, and they can be passed from the intended recipient to the unintended. In fact, if not executed correctly, the intent of the e-mail can backfire, threaten relationships, and even endanger careers. The 4Cs of Truth in Communication Enter the 4Cs of Truth in Communication. Originally developed to evaluate and improve advertising and marketing materials, the 4Cs are an equally useful tool when applied to e-mail communication. The 4Cs stand for comprehension, connection, credibility and contagiousness. Let’s see how they can be used to make your e-mails more effective. Comprehension. It may seem obvious, but it’s important that your recipient simply understands the message contained in the e-mail. And this has everything to do with language, vocabulary, punctuation and tone. It is highly important that the proper tone be understood when reading an e-mail message. One important way of ensuring instant comprehension is the subject line. Think about it: Other than the sender’s name, it’s the only piece of information readers see before they open the e-mail. Therein lies the opportunity to either invite the recipient into your message to open it, or “save it” for later. And you know what that means? There is only a 50 percent chance that it will get read in the future. A friend and colleague of mine with whom I hadn’t communicated in quite come time sent me an e-mail with the subject message, “Let’s get together for breakfast!” So I immediately understood—even before opening the e-mail—what the purpose of her message was. The exclamation point communicated to me that she was enthusiastic about the idea. That’s a great start. Compare that to an e-mail that says “no subject" or even one that says “Hi.” Even if I know the sender, I’m not as eager to open it and may skip over it. Connection. Here’s the key question we ask about connection: Is the message speaking to the recipient on a personal level? Does it really matter to him or her? If the message is not relevant, doesn’t address a topic or area of concern or fails to interest on a rational or emotional level, then it’s not making a connection. Think about the number of times you’ve pressed the delete button just by seeing some words in a subject line that were frivolous, uninteresting or irrelevant. For instance, whenever I get an e-mail from my publisher with the words “your book” in the subject line, I’m inherently interested. It makes an immediate and critical connection for me—both rationally and emotionally. E-mail messages need to connect on a personal level too. Credibility. To assess credibility, we have to think who, what and how. Who. Does the message make sense coming from this sender? Is the sender credible? What. Is it something you expect from this sender? If the message or the tone of the message doesn’t sync with your expectations, the message is more likely to lose credibility. How. How is the message executed? How is the message worded? How does it strike you? If the sender is trying to convince you of something, are you “buying” it? Contagiousness. This is the area where tone, one of the most important components of e-mail communication, steps in and takes charge. If the tone of your e-mail message is exciting, motivating or differentiating, it’s likely to deliver your message effectively. Remember the example of my friend’s invitation to breakfast? The tone was definitely motivating to me. Think about the potential effectiveness of your next e-mail message in terms of: Energy. Is there a sense of energy around the message? Is there something in the headline or opening sentence that makes the reader want to continue reading? Newsworthiness. Does it offer a new way to view the sender? This will likely mean the message and/or the sender is more memorable. Uniqueness. Is it competitively differentiating? Does it stand out from the hundreds of other e-mails in the reader’s inbox that week? Obviously, there’s an opportunity to do this in the subject line as well. Emotionally charged. Does it evoke a vivid emotional response? If your tone is off, the emotional response may be completely negative. Motivation. Does it motivate the target to do something? Will the target hit reply or delete? Try this: Apply the 4Cs to some e-mails in your inbox. For each e-mail, did— You instantly “get” it? (Comprehension) The message resonate with you emotionally? (Connection) It feel genuine? (Credibility) The message really stick with you? (Contagiousness) You’ll discover that it’s rare to get an e-mail that accomplishes all the 4Cs. But when you do, notice how it stands out from the crowd! You can accomplish this same desirable effect in your own e-mails by using the 4Cs every time you compose an e-mail—or any other piece of communication. It’s one of the easiest and best ways to create memorable messages and boost your overall communication skills. About the Author Isabelle Albanese is a leading marketing consultant for Fortune 500 companies, and the author of The 4Cs of Truth in Communications: How to Identify, Discuss, Evaluate, and Present Stand-out, Effective Communication (Paramount Market Publishing, 2007). Isabelle can be reached at Isabelle@consumertruth.com.