Thread by @Hellawyn, I tend to have a problem with people who don't answer emails, [...]

I tend to have a problem with people who don't answer emails, usually. With this pandemic, students can't use office hours as easily. I have no idea if teachers whose classes I don't attend have organised regular online office hours. My only mean of communication is emailing..

..them. I have a background in digital communications, as ridiculous as this may sound given it was mostly in NGOs, startups, SMEs, & underpaid if paid at all. In academia I realised that comms were completely mismanaged, 90% of the time. Here are a few tips..: @AcademicChatter

1) Answering an email doesn't mean responding to the content of the email. A simple & polite answer with a timeframe info to acknowledge you received & saw their emails will make a huge difference for students. Ex: "Thank you for your email. I will do my best to get back to..

..you in a timely manner. In case you do not receive anything from me within 7 working days, please feel free to send me a reminder. If it is an urgent matter requiring a response earlier than that, please let me know by answering this email." Just an example. @OpenAcademics

2) Your time is valuable & precious, you're extremely busy, we get it. But students' lives aren't just about having it easy & sitting on a chair playing some random games. Please keep that in mind & be respectful towards them. #AcademicTwitter

3) Try to answer emails (see point 1) within 3 working days maximum. That's just a good policy in any field in communications. Unless you receive 100+ such emails from students per day, try to avoid automated answers. We're all humans, ffs! #phdlife

4) If you really can't stand emails, answer & offer realistic alternatives. Do not assume your students have access to certain IT comms tools that aren't free.
5) Long emails are annoying for you? Fine, ask students to send you bullet points instead.

6) Pandemic-specific: it's safe to assume students are having a hard time as much as you are, in a different way, & they're aware you're also struggling. If they reach out, it means either they really need to, or perhaps they're seeking support without telling you directly.

7) COMMUNICATION IS KEY IN ABSOLUTELY ALL RELATIONSHIPS, PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL. If you make it hard to communicate with you, expect consequences (long & repeated emails, less patience from students, etc). Putting some effort into it is also self-care & safer for you...!

8) To students & teachers alike:
- Topic (1 sentence or line)
- Explanations (elaborate)
- Call-to-action / question (max 1 CtA & 3Qs)
Sort your email content from most important/urgent to least.
Use bold only when really necessary.
Always end an email with "Thank you."

9) SORT YOUR DAMN INBOX. And uh, schedule some time once or twice a day to answer/respond to emails.
10) If you're going through smtg making your responsiveness decrease significantly, please use an automated email mentioning it. Always. People will understand. Life happens.

I think that'll be it for now.
I'm truly shocked to see how academics are doing not even half of these, most of the time. I know you're not comms managers but c'mon, you're all humans, right? Systematic automated answers are OK for Heads, Directors, etc., btw.

I hope this will be useful somehow. Oh, also, it's okay to regularly clarify how you address each other. "Hello", "Dear...", "Hey", "YOOO" are all valid if agreed beforehand with the person you're sending it to. If in doubt, opt for "Dear...".
#academiclife

Let me just add to 3) that I recommend you create a document on your computer with prepared templates, and you can easily copy-paste it. But try to personalise as much as possible.
Also 10) Consider having a notepad where you take notes "who/what/when". Can be digital too.

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