Thread by @iCatHalo

As a postdoc, students sometimes ask me for advice on how they should communicate with their Prof/PI. Having sent and received 1000s of academic emails, here’s what I’ve learned about how to be effective in communication with senior faculty. #phdchat #AcademicTwitter

Academics are busy. Open-ended requests run the risk of being to-do piled. So give a timeline. This helps PI organise their schedule, and is a motivator by itself. “Please see attached manuscript to be submitted on the 30th. If possible, I’d love to have your input by the 26th...

No ‘side notes’. Keep to a single topic per email, clearly stated in the subject line. NEVER finish an email with “By the way, can you please approve my trip to…etc.” Secondary requests can often be overlooked and forgotten; instead send a new email with a dedicated subject.

No preamble, no ‘how are you?’, just get to the point. “Dear Prof, Our XXXX instrument is down. To help us get it fixed, can you please sign the attached as soon as possible….?”
Brevity is the soul of a quick exchange.

Formatting. There is always a good chance your email will be skim-read. It is OK to use bold type or underlining to emphasise critical pieces of information.

You don’t always need express permission. Requiring approval for every trifling thing will paralyze your PhD as you stare at your inbox waiting for Godot. Instead, state your plan and ask ‘Any objections...?’ Give them a few days then treat their non-response as approval.

But you DO have to keep your PI in the loop on what you’re up to (especially meetings with new collaborators, media interviews, competetion entries…). There can be sensitivites/IP issues/politics in the background you are unaware of. Blindsiding a PI can cause problems downtrack

Lower the activation barrier: do as much as you can yourself. If it’s a form, fill it all out, bar the signature. If it’s a cover letter, give them a first draft and let them edit it in their own style. An academic is to a draft of text as a dog is to a nicely thrown stick.

Write it, send it and try not to worry. Don’t agonise over phrasing like a teen messaging their crush. That just eats up time and energy. Similarly don’t ‘read in’ too much to a PI’s response. If they seem gruff, they are probably just on a deadline. I'm sure they still like you!

Getting crickets? It’s totally OK to send a follow-up a few days or a week later. Did I mention Academics are busy? Despite the best of intentions, sometimes emails can fall through the cracks. Just politely check if they have received it.

Schedule send is your friend. You might notice that you tend to get a lot of emails from your Prof at odd hours of the night or early morning. Turn this to your advantage by scheduling your email to send during these nocturnal hours. This migth get you an immediate response.

If you need to elaborate a complex topic (e.g. troubleshooting or data analysis etc), use numbered points. In the first place this will help you organise your own thoughts. And this point-wise organisation will help clarity through the subsequent email chain.

On that note, ask yourself is email the best medium for this conversation? Ask to schedule a quick phonecall instead. Sometimes that 15 minute chat can save you hours of email-writing, and literally days in the lab.

Crossing cultures. Worth of a topic by itself. A lab is a melting pot of people from all backgrounds, all with different ideas of the PI/student relationship. Should you say ‘Dear’ or ‘Hi’? Should you sign off ‘yours sincerely’ or ‘cheers’? Easy answer: match whatever they do!

This goes without saying, but be polite and respectful. Your supervisor is not your boss, but neither are they your servant. Say please, thank you. Be appreciative of their time.

Thanks for reading '#Nudge for PhD students, or how to stop worrying about emailing your Prof' !