As a knowledge worker, your day often starts the same way: you open your inbox and are faced with a jumble of emails. An endless stream of messages from colleagues with vague subject lines. Emails without any subject line at all (and you know exactly which colleagues always send those). Endless CCs. Attachments you cannot even open. Missing attachments. Not to mention emails with perfectly good subject lines that arrive too late to be useful because the decision has already been made.
That kind of email clutter can drain your energy before your working day has even started.
So what can you do about it?
Become the Hero of Email
How would you like it if your emails were always answered promptly?
If people knew that whenever an email from you arrived, it would contain something worth reading?
If you became known for writing clear, easy-to-understand emails?
And if, little by little, your colleagues started following your example?
We’re mostly making it up as we go along
An email is sent in seconds. Before you know it, it has left your outbox.
The problem is that nobody is ever really taught how to write effective emails. Unlike formal business letters, there are no widely accepted rules or structures. Occasionally, organisations provide guidance on writing clear emails, but most knowledge workers are left to figure it out for themselves.
Think about WHO you’re writing to
If you want to write better emails, start by thinking from the recipient’s perspective.
How are they likely to react to what you’ve written?
What do you want them to do?
The steps below will help you write clearer, more effective emails and set an example others may want to follow.
First ask yourself: is this email really necessary? If you’re meeting the person tomorrow anyway, add it to the agenda for that conversation instead. If email genuinely is the best option, carry on.
- Use a clear subject line. Just as a newspaper headline summarises an article, your subject line should summarise your message. Avoid vague subject lines such as Long time no see! or creative but uninformative titles like A New Beginning. Always complete the subject line. It’s a simple courtesy that helps the recipient immediately understand what the email is about.
- Start with the action you want. In the opening paragraph, make it clear what you want the recipient to do. A short question or request provides a clear starting point. Use the rest of the email to provide context or explanation. If you feel you need to explain something first, make sure you finish with a clear question or action.
- Stick to one topic per email. If your email contains seven different discussion points, replying becomes a project in itself. You’re far more likely to get a response if you keep emails concise and focused. Need to discuss multiple issues? Consider whether a conversation, a meeting or a Teams call would be more effective.
- Don’t feel obliged to include social small talk. You don’t need to open every email with How was your holiday? or Hope your meeting went well yesterday. If you genuinely want to know, pick up the phone or have a conversation. In email, get to the point. If you’d like to keep the personal connection, simply mention that you’ll ask about it later.
- Be clear who should respond. When several people are copied into an email, it’s easy to create long message chains and confusion about responsibility. Address the person you need a response from directly. That way you avoid the situation where either everyone responds, or nobody does.
- Explain why people are copied in. If someone is in CC, explain why. They may not need to take any action, but why is it useful for them to be informed?
Want Better Emails in Your Inbox? Start by setting the standard yourself. A good first step is writing clear, informative subject lines.
The quality of the emails you send has a surprising impact on the quality of the emails you receive.
Be the example you’d like others to follow.
