Long before it became the beige wallpaper of modern communication, “I hope this finds you well” was a standard part of letter-writing conventions. One Civil War soldier, for example, began a letter ...

Many people cringe upon hearing the word “email.” It often represents the worst parts of bureaucracy — cold, formal, painfully orderly and inevitably passive-aggressive. This stereotype is misguided.

Your email messages may be less than effective for several reasons. For example, your message may get lost in the sea of competing messages, and lengthy messages may not be read entirely or carefully.