Should you write, email, text, IM, Facebook message, call, or go in person? It all depends. Who are you trying to reach? How well do you know them? How urgent is it? What have you tried so far? What is that person's preferred mode of communication?Email is great - except when it isn't. One of the regular complaints I get from beginning leaders is that they tried to gather a meeting or to recruit volunteers, but no one responded to their emails. Some people are great email responders, and some just read everything and reply to almost nothing - especially if a reply requires thought or commitment.
One way to increase the effectiveness of an email is to combine it with a text message. This reminds people to check their email. (Some just don't check very often.) Also, it is a small flag noting the urgency of the issue. However, if the reply can be done with a text message, you might consider skipping the email altogether. One nice thing about text messages is that people can still receive them while in meetings when they can't answer the phone. Also, they can save them up and respond to you later when they are on a break.
Another option for email is to start with a mass email to get the easy responders. Then, move to text message to get the next set of responses. Finally, close out the slow responders with direct phone calls.
For people in your email contact list, a five minute Instant Message conversation with Google Chat or something similar can be the most effective way to touch base with a short Q and A session. This avoids the annoying relay of emails with one short question after another.
