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The problem with most email communication
Most people write terrible emails. It’s too bad, because by simply following a few easy rules, they could reduce or eliminate the need for a 10 message “email conversation” most of the time.
Here are three techniques to help you improve your email communication.
1. Think for 10 seconds before composing – Seriously!
When sending an email, do you just open a blank window and spew out information?
Have you ever had someone reply to your message with a question to clarify what you’re asking?
Of course you have. Congratulations your normal. We’ve all sent rushed or poorly worded emails in the past.
The good news is that by taking an extra 10 seconds to think out the message before touching the keyboard, you’ll be able to communicate more clearly and effectively.
During that 10 seconds, ask yourself some basic email etiquette questions like:
- What DO they need to know about this subject?
- What DON’T they need to know about this subject?
- What question(s) will they ask after they read this?
- Am I sending this to the right person?
- Can I reduce or eliminate the number of people CC’d on this message?
2. Say it in the subject line
You’ve no doubt heard this before.
People all over are telling you to write clear email subject lines. That’s great, but I’m suggesting you take it one step further.
If it’s possible, just use the subject line for your message and leave the body of the email completely blank. Using a system like this forces you to get to the point instantly.
Some people might freak out when you send an email with nothing in the body, but you can be fairly certain that they’ve read it all. There’s also a better chance that they’ll respond to the message, because you’ve hopefully give them a clear request.
If it’s not possible to leave the email completely blank, the subject line should say exactly what the rest of the message is about.
Time is lost every day, as people search through recent and old emails to find important information. The cause of most of the frustration is bad subject lines. By making your emails clear it will help others find what you’ve sent them, and also help you out if you ever have to go digging through old correspondence.
3. “Twitterize” your emails
Think of email like an instant messaging service that, unfortunately, doesn’t stop you after the first 140 characters.
Most ideas can be expressed in a few sentences, if thought out. You can save time for yourself and for others by writing short emails that are to the point.
Set a goal to keep the majority of your emails to a twitter-sized 140 characters or less. You might already write a lot of short emails, but I’d like to stress that you should also pack it with content. Short and to the point.
The two best things you can do to shorten your emails are:
Be specific – This cuts through all the chatter and get’s to the point.
Send one email for each major idea – This helps prevent requests from being ignored or missed, if they’re hidden in the middle of the message. It also makes the email easier to find or forward, because it’s about only one topic.
Use these as guides, not rules
Keeping your emails short isn’t possible all of the time, but give it a shot, and you’ll probably see that in 80-90% of the time, you can write lightening fast emails that still get across everything you were intending… and that actually get read.
