In my profession, I write a lot of emails. A LOT. It’s so second nature to me on how to efficiently communicate electronically that I don’t realize there are people who may need or want help with how to write constructive and productive emails. I recently was asked by some staff and colleagues to review their emails before sending it out. They were unsure about whether or not it was too long or too short, if it was unclear, if it addressed the right people, etc. Here are some quick pointers and lessons I’ve learned in my years of working in the “real world!”
If you don’t know me very well, there’s some slight sarcasm in this, but I’m totally serious, too. :D
Transparency on “To”
First and foremost, please remember that any work email you send is public, and can easily be forwarded by the recipient(s). There are times where I’ve written an email to one person thinking it would help streamline communication and deliverables, then 24 hours later, 17 people are on the CC list with multiple replies. So now, I’ve learned that when I draft an email, I try to CC all the folks I can think of who may benefit from or find this email important. Over-communication is always better than having someone feel like they’ve been left in the dark. Another benefit is that this creates visibility not just for others, but for YOU as well.
Succinct Subject
The subject line is like a headline for the message. Often times, it’s best to write the message first, then write the subject line. A good subject line is short, succinct, to the point, and essentially summarizes the message. If it is an urgent message that needs an immediate response, indicate it in your subject, but do not abuse it- do that sparingly or your colleagues won’t take you seriously.
Examples:
“Final design review for price cards”
“URGENT: Need feedback for 11/22 systems meeting”
“Brainstorming cross-device solutions for mileage tracking”
“Status update from the payroll team”
Opening Greeting
Firstly, always consider who you are addressing. If the person(s) you are addressing is very formal and professional, then the tone of the email will be formal. Some may disagree with me, but if the colleague is someone you’ve gotten to known to be laid back, friendly, informal, then I feel it is appropriate to start an email without any formalities. It helps reinforce the relationship you have with this person, and helps continue to foster a healthy and comfortable working relationship and safe environment to discuss any issues or blockers, how to resolve them, etc. If you aren’t sure, just stick to formal.
Examples:
Informal: “Hey guys, thanks for having my back yesterday at the meeting!”
Formal: “Hello Mr. Smith, I am writing to…”
Informal: “Hey team, I am so excited for the passion around notifications! Can’t wait to ship this! Woot woot!”
Formal: “Dear All, ….”
The Message
Always indicate the reason why you are writing the email. This helps establish intent. What do you want to gain from sending this email? If the email is a status update, make that clear. If you are looking for feedback or clarification on next steps, write out exactly that. Sometimes this part of an email can be very long, and sometimes it can include a long list of bullet points, but overall, you want to be clear and concise on the message and information being presented.
Examples:
“I am sending this email so everyone has visibility on…”
“This email is to inform you that…”
“Before going into the VP meeting tomorrow, we need some quick feedback on this deck…”
“I will be missing the scrum meeting so here is my update over email…”
Attachments
If you included any attachments, always indicate in the email that you’ve attached something that needs the recipient’s attention. Recipients will often look over the attachments line, especially if there don’t see a clear connection between attachments and the message.
Examples:
“Please refer to the attached screenshots for…”
“Attached is the file you requested…”
“Please find the attached spreadsheet…”
Closing Statements
Always end your email with clear expectations and next steps. If you are looking for something from someone, highlight or bold their name and include a deadline. Heck, send a meeting invite to remind them as well. I also typically try to end emails on a positive or funny note (i.e. “Thanks everyone! Gooooooo team!”). It helps boost cultural morale, reinforces my firm belief of “C’mon guys, work is just work- why so serious?,” and sets a tone to be a comfortable environment for any kind of response.
Examples:
“Thanks everyone! Goooooooo team!”
“Looking forward to our brainstorm session next week.”
“I will look for your response by Nov 22. Thank you!”
“Susan will deliver the mocks by EOD, and I will send you the deck by Nov 25.”
Callouts
Unfortunately, there will be folks who will see that a message from you came in, but they won’t read it. There will also be folks who just want to know what the action items are so they can go on about their busy lives without having to understand all of the project’s context or every detail involved in teams or processes. To help get everyone get back to being productive, try highlighting or bolding names and dates to clearly indicate next steps and who needs to deliver what by when.
BONUS! Meetings!
Number one thing to remember when scheduling a meeting: include an agenda!! When creating meeting invites, make sure there is a clear agenda so attendees will know what to expect or if an attendee is marked optional, he/she can determine whether or not they should even be attending.
If the meeting isn’t important, or at least perceived to be unimportant, no one will attend. Including a clear agenda allows potential attendees to quickly understand exactly what will be covered, the goals of the meeting, who will be there, and how to best prepare for it.
Hope that was helpful! Now go forth and write better emails!