Single Ad Example

9. Defer delivery by however many minutes you choose 10. Hit Next > 11. Select any exceptions you want to apply and hit Next > 12. Name the rule whatever you choose. Make sure the box next to Turn on this rule is selected (you probably will not want to select the other two boxes) and hit Finish 13. Click OK 14. Click Apply With that, you’re all set! If you want to delete or change this rule, repeat steps 1-2, highlight the rule in your list and select Change Rule or Delete. Undo Send in Gmail Gmail doesn’t have any options quite as sophisticated as Outlook, but it does have a feature called “Undo Send.” Don’t get too excited – it’s not a magical reversal button, but it does remain an option within 30 seconds of sending an email. That’s not a huge amount of time, but it’s usually long enough to recognize the more technical or minor mistakes you might have made. To activate this feature: 1. Click the gear icon in the upper right hand corner of your Gmail home screen 2. Hit Settings 3. In the General tab (where settings automatically opens), find Undo Send: and check the box that says Enable Undo Send 4. If you want even less time, you can select 5 , 10 , or 20 seconds (30 is the default) 5. Scroll to the bottom and hit Save Changes 6. When enabled, the yellow window that pops up at the top of the page (under Gmail’s native search bar) after sending a message will now include an Undo button for 30 seconds after sending. In Android Settings → Delay email sending → up to 5 seconds These self-check tools may seem like a burden initially, but they’ll save you time and embarrassment in the long run. By being just a little more mindful about your communication skills and strategies, you can help avoid issues before they start. That communication is an art is a truth we’d do well to remember in our modern world! Want to learn more? The Chicago Bar Association Law Practice Management & Technology provides hands on training for MS Word regularly. Watch the schedule at:www.chicagobar.org/techtraining. Or watch tutorial videos in the How To library online at www.chicagobar.org/ howto.

formula. You always want to have the following: 1. Subject line 2. Greeting 3. Body 4. Closing 5. Signature block

We’ve already touched on greetings and closings, but let’s explore the remaining three factors. Subject lines should be informative and effective, but short. You want to let the recipient know why you’re contacting them, and ideally use a keyword that you’ll be able to search for later. However, keep in mind that many emails are received on mobile devices. When a notification pops up, you see only the first several words of a subject line. Make those words count, and leave the rest behind. A similar rule applies to the body of your email. Get to your point quickly, before you lose the reader’s attention. Keep things succinct. Not every email can be short, but it’s generally a great idea to aim for 5 sentences or fewer. It’s an optimistic goal, but if you keep that number in mind, you’ll gradually condition yourself to conform. Signature blocks should be informative and attractive. At the bare minimum, you want to include your name, title, company, and contact information (phone and email). If your firm has a logo, include it here for a sophisticated touch. If you have a strong social media presence, you might want to consider linking your Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter accounts to your signature block. So what tools are available to you to help turn this advice into habit? It depends on your email provider, but most have some kind of option you can easily activate. Create a Rule in Outlook (Desktop Version) If you’re an Outlook user, you can create a rule that will hold any email you send in an outbox for an amount of time that you can specify. Even ten minutes can make a big difference, particularly in tense situations where tempers might be involved. To create this rule: 1. Go to the File tab in the ribbon 2. Select Manage Rules & Alerts 3. Select New Rule 4. Under Start from a blank rule , select Apply rule on messages I send 5. Hit Next > 6. Select any conditions you want to apply. If you want it to apply to every email you send, just hit Next > (If you do not select any conditions, you’ll be given a message that says “This rule will be applied to every message you send. Is this correct?” Hit Yes and continue) 7. Select defer delivery by a number of minutes 8. In the window below the checklist, the selected action will appear and “a number of” will be hyperlinked. Click it

1 https://blog.boomerangapp.com/2017/12/how-to-start-an-email-an-email-openings-analysis/

Anne Haag is the Trainer/Coordinator at the Chicago Bar Association’s Law Practice Management & Technology Department.

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