Introduction to the May 2010 Knowledge Letter

I have one big pet peeve that I would like to share with you. I communicate with a very large number of people and in response to an email, I so often wish to pick up the phone and talk to the sender but amazingly most people don't append an email footer to their message. So unless I know them well and have their phone number I can't do that.

Recently I wanted to get hold of someone as I wanted to make an offer of a speaking engagement to them for the following day. I needed to know if they could do it urgently - but no footer on their past emails to me; no phone number on Facebook or Linkedin and no reply to my messages. So no way of getting hold of them in a hurry. I gave up and someone else got the work.

Now I understand that not everyone wants to be that easily contactable but most people do. So check it out - if someone wanted to contact you urgently could they? I make my mobile phone number available everywhere and I have never received an unwanted call. I also forward my land-line calls to my mobile. My iPhone is always with me. I am connected 24x7.

One very simple thing to do is to add an automated footer to your emails. Its easy - what ever your email system - you can find instructions here. You should also consider adding your phone number to Linkedin and maybe even Facebook but certainly Linkedin if you only use it to connect with your professional contacts.

This is my mail footer. On the odd occasion that I don't need it or don't wish to share all my contact details, I simply delete it before I send the email.

David GURTEEN
Gurteen Knowledge
Fleet, United Kingdom

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