My suggested tips for success:

1. Don’t leave the subject line blank. When you send someone an email with a blank subject line, they are lost. They have no idea what the message is about. Even if they know you, even if they’re expecting an email from you, there will be that moment where they just don’t know what’s gonna happen when they open your message. That kind of uncertainty breeds fear and paranoia, and you don’t want to be a part of that, do you?
2. Don’t put the name of the person you’re sending the message to as the subject line AND don’t put your name as the subject line. The sender/recipient information is already embedded in the message in these handy little fields called the “To:” line and the “From:” line. You need not repeat them, and it’s a waste of subject line space.
3. Don’t replace the subject line of a reply with something completely different (unless the topic has really completely changed). Even if the subject line is no longer completely accurate or timely (e.g. “feedback about this afternoon” still being used 3 days later), it’s still an important cue to the reader that tunes them into the ongoing conversation quickly. When you obliterate it just because you can, you make your recipient work harder. In some cases, mail reading programs also take advantage of the repeated subject line for better sorting and searching. One possible exception: if you’re forwarding on a message to someone for the first time, you can enhance the subject line for their clarity of understanding.
4. Be specific but concise, don’t use generic words. Your goal is to help the recipient know in about 5-10 words exactly what they can expect to find in the content of your message. If it’s a request that requires action, say so. If it’s an FYI, say so. Use nouns and verbs that will evoke meaning, and don’t use words that just take up space (e.g. “a message about…”).
5. If it’s time sensitive or high priority, indicate that. If someone gets a lot of email, they may not read your message right away, so don’t wait until the message body to indicate your expectations for how they will prioritize it. If you need a response by a certain date, tack that on to the end of the subject line, e.g. “reply by 10/5/08″. If it’s just generally high priority, you can say that instead (and in addition to using your mail program’s priority flag, which not all other mail programs recognize), e.g “high priority”.
6. Be careful about words that may be caught by junk mail filters. Sadly, a modern consideration for email sending is whether or not your message will seem suspicious to automated spam filters. If you use words that reference items of a sexual nature, pharmaceutical solutions, or money-making opportunities, know that your message may be more likely to be delayed. In some cases, your recipient may not ever see it.

Of course, efficiency isn’t always the only consideration in writing email subject lines. You may be writing to be clever or mysterious, or to brighten someone’s day, in which case you can happily throw out the above and I promise not to call you out on it.

How do those work for you? Do you have other tips and suggestions to add?

I always make a mental note to write down some suggestions for improving this situation, and now that the academic year is ramping up again with plenty of lectures and convocations on the schedule, I thought I’d hold forth. So, here are my 5 tips for how to get the most out of Q & A time at public lectures:

1. Think about the wording of your question in advance – I know this may seem obvious, but many students seem to wait until the microphone is in hand and the whole room is staring at them to compose their thoughts. You’ll save everyone some time if you have a rough version of your question rehearsed in your brain, and you get extra points if you write it out on paper too.
2. Make your question clear and concise – related to the first point, the more circuitous route you take to ask your question, the less chance you have of getting a substantial response. If you need more than two sentences, you’re probably going on too long. Oh, and make sure you actually have a question – stating a bunch of ideas and just waiting for a reaction by your guest is not helpful.
3. Q&A time is not a venue for sharing your own views at length – I can’t count how many lectures I’ve been to where the question-asker takes five minutes to talk about what they think about some topic that may or may not be related to the event itself. Okay, you might have something interesting and insightful to say, but if you can’t sum it up in a sentence and do so as a clearly relevant introduction to your question, then you’re probably losing the attention (and perhaps respect) of the audience. The person at the podium is there for a reason, you’ll get your turn later.
4. Be gracious – again perhaps obvious, but I continue to be jarred by the abrasive and even vitriolic tone of some of the questions I hear asked. No matter how much you disagree with the speaker, no matter how awful you think they are, you will gain very little by insulting, interrupting or embarrassing them. (And for crying out loud, don’t throw food at them – it’s been done, and it has no positive utility.) I believe you can show respect while challenging the speaker, and if you do it well, the challenge may just be met with a worthwhile reflection or response.
5. Don’t follow up unless asked or necessary – a follow-up question is still a second question, and depending on the event format, you may be taking away someone else’s opportunity to ask their question by getting yours in. If the speaker prompts you (“did that answer your question?”) or if the speaker clearly evaded your question, a follow-up can be appropriate, but you should still be open to the possibility that moving on to someone else will yield the best results for everyone involved.

Of course, you’re welcome to take issue with the above. What other tips or advice do you have for folks attending public lectures and hoping to participate in the Question & Answer section?