Sometimes drafting an email to a colleague or client seems hopeless. Is all of that effort just going into a void? Will this single email turn into a winding scavenger hunt to get definitive answers or real action?
Especially during a time when many folks are finding themselves working virtually, emails and other forms of digital communication are more necessary than ever. Try out some of these strategies to write more effective emails for better teamwork.
Don’t Just Read It, Hear It
Many resources recommend reading your emails out loud to help with editing. That does help, but you’ll keep hearing that email in your own voice and it will be difficult to find opportunities to clarify meaning. Try to frame your email in the recipient’s voice, including:
- Their point of view / background (Ex. Does their family structure influence their opinion on this topic?)
- Recent challenges or successes (Ex. Did they just receive bad news about their own project?)
- Terms / vocabulary (Ex. Does their area of work or regional dialect use that word in a different way?)
Formatting is Your Friend
All major email services offer rich text formatting, allowing you to add bold text, bullet points, numbered lists, and links. Use them to your advantage! Visually break up content into digestible pieces so that your colleagues can easily take in all of the information you’re sending.
It’s Ok to Get Attached
Email attachments don’t have to be restricted to official documents. If it helps to clarify your point, add visual screenshots and change the filenames to reflect the text. Even if the item you’re referencing seems obvious, it gives visually-oriented people the opportunity to see what you’re talking about instead of trying to mentally reconstruct it.
Save the Best for Last
Maybe it’s not actually the best part of your email, but it’s the most important. Any critical information you want to share, especially a call-to-action or an essential question that requires a response, should be the very last thing in your email. This is based on the recency effect in psychology: when presented with a list of items, people are most likely to remember the items that come last.
Think About Your Platform
If your email is several paragraphs long or involves many steps with login credentials and attachments, it might be time to think about a different strategy for conveying this information. Yes, after an entire post about writing emails I’m telling you to rethink your platform. If critical information is likely to get lost, consider using a project management tool like Asana, a team communication app like Slack, or a team-specific Google Drive folder.
Whatever approach you decide to take, make sure that you are very clear about how to access content and expectations for adding new information. And finally, know that any new method takes time for team acceptance and adoption – be patient, positive, and encouraging!
KAYLA PENNOYER 