What I’ve Learned in the Past 24 Years (As a Professional) – Notes From the Beach on Emails and Meetings

I have a strong gratitude practice, and near the top of the list every day are the amazing women in my life.  I could write a novel about this, but for the purpose of this blog, I’ll focus on my annual girl’s trip to Dauphin Island, Alabama.  We are on year 11, and while women come and go, there’s a core group of us that makes it almost every trip.  What happens on that trip is something that fills my soul for the year to come – connection, sharing, support, life planning, relaxation, fun, silliness, sunshine, long walks, ocean...

On the beach this year, we talked about this blog series, and today, I’m going to share with you some wisdom on professionalism from that conversation.  We focused on meetings and emails:

• Meetings
  • Always, always, always ask for availability before sending out meeting invitations! It’s simple - If you want someone to be at the meeting, confirm they are available first.
  • Always send a calendar invitation, and when you do, put the subject of the meeting in the invite, and attach any necessary documents for the meeting to the invite.
  • One of those necessary documents for the meeting is an agenda along with the goal/desired outcome of the meeting, and the role of each meeting participant.
  • If the meeting is in person, be clear about the location and parking instructions.
  • If the meeting is virtual, of course include the link, but also include the phone number in case of technical difficulties.
• Emails
  • Because people seem to have forgotten, where you put people in the email is critical to receiving the responses and information you need:
    • To: You are the subject of this email, and you expected to read the email and respond to it.
    • CC: You are relevant to this email, but only as a “FYI” or for the file. While you are expected to read the email, you are NOT expected to respond to it.
    • BCC: You are tangentially relevant to this email, but only as “FYI” or for the file.  This is truly for information only.  You SHOULD NOT respond to the email, because if you do, it confuses everyone because they didn’t see you on the email to start with (hidden in bcc).  Always check to see if you are BCC if you are not listed in the “To:” line and feel the need to respond.
      

I’d love to hear from you!  Who are the people in your circle that light you up, and how do they impact your professional lives?  Until next time, put these values to work in your professional world and enjoy the positive results!