Four Ways the BCC Can Enhance Your Email Practice

possible. Save yourself from sending many individual emails one at a time, and drop everyone to the BCC line.

Scenario: Multiple individuals have been selected for coaching based on their performance review. You draft a generic, yet compassionate, email to notify the entire group. Using the BCC allows you to be efficient and respect their privacy. Remind people that they can reach out to you directly for questions or to schedule a meeting. If they accidentally hit “Reply All,” the message goes to you only.

When you are introduced to someone new: When you are introduced to someone via email, you want to thank the person making the introduction. We suggest you generously remove them from the thread and continue the conversation with your new contact. Now, the person making the introduction can exit after the initial emails and be spared further inbox clutter.

Scenario: A faculty member introduces you via email to a new fellow. When you respond, place the faculty member in the BCC line, thank them, and continue the conversation with the fellow. Future emails between the fellow and you will not include the faculty.

When you want an email you send to others to appear in your inbox: Consider the scenario where you are writing an email of high importance and you want to track the message for yourself. Perhaps there is an action item you assigned to yourself. Add your email address to the BCC line and send the email to the group. The message arrives at the top of your inbox for record keeping.

Scenario: You are organizing a lecture and want to remind yourself to follow up with the speaker if they do not respond in 48 hours. Add your name to the BCC, and the email goes to the recipient and to your inbox.

The BCC used to elude us too; however, this is a powerful friend, not a foe. It can be challenging to integrate change when your workplace culture doesn’t value the BCC. Start with the small action of using the BCC with your immediate team members until everyone gets used to it. Your email communications will carry a bigger, more polished communication impact for everyone.

Dr. Landry is an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School.