Writing concise emails is a skill set- no doubt about it! As an online-based company, we’re working to improve our communication every day. These tips have helped us save time and ease the burden of busy clients. Take it from us… concise email writing is a skill worth developing!
Define the goal of the email
Start by considering the receiver of the email. What do you know about their email style and how can you do your part to keep the correspondence concise?
When possible, stick to ONE topic per email. This can be hard, but if you begin listing items or bouncing around topics, getting a response will likely take longer or may not happen at all.
With regard to email topics, be sure to do your research. For example, don’t ask someone to email you a summary of their services if you can visit their website and find out for yourself! Ultimately, this saves you both time.
Craft your subject lines with care
Once you’ve established the goal of the email, create a subject line that clearly reflects your email’s purpose. A good subject line may actually result in faster email response times!
Keep it organized and easy to absorb with a quick skim
Aim to write the full email in less than 5 sentences, making your point clear in the first sentence.
Include all the necessary information up front, prioritizing the specifics over the general ideas. Highlight actions that need to be taken. Using bullet points and numbering items can be a great tool for concise emailing.
Don’t over-communicate as it can become difficult to decipher what part of the message deserves the most attention.
Avoid redundancy when scheduling meetings- you likely don’t need to include very much text about that topic beforehand… save it for the meeting!
Use If-Then messaging
Take a page out of Tim Ferris’ playbook and use if-then guidelines.
For example, you might say “If the outline looks good to you, then no reply is necessary.”
Or
“I would like to schedule a chat at 10 am PST. If that does not work for you, then please send me two-time slots that would work.”
This helps eliminate any doubt about the next course of action. By anticipating the possible responses, and giving the desired action for each possible response, you’re cutting a lot of wasted back-and-forth time.
Proofread
Think to yourself, “Are there any ambiguous statements that could be interpreted the wrong way?” If so, clarify.
Also, see if there is a way you can shorten the email, remove words or sentences or even paragraphs. Leave nothing but the essential message you’re trying to communicate.
Look at the examples below. One is the making of a great emailer and the other one… not so much.
Here are more great tips on writing concise, efficient emails!
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