How do I write better emails at work?

Have you ever asked this question to yourself? If you have, you are on the way to writing more effectively.

In my experience of conducting writing workshops at companies, I have found that many people are not particularly thoughtful when it comes to composing emails. They write a few lines without much thought. And then press the ‘send’ button.

Emails are written forms of communication that are permanent records. So, they do need to be taken seriously.

Let’s approach email writing within the framework of those most relevant of questions: why, who, what, how, where, and when.

A guide to better business email writing

1. Why

What is the purpose of your email? Is it to apologize to an upset customer? Is to remind colleagues about the Friday office party? Is it persuade a client to purchase a new product?

You should have a clear idea as to why you are composing an email. That will help you to determine the tone, content, and structure of your message.

Is your purpose to inform, persuade, reassure, or apologize?

Some people think that the answer to why is obvious.

I would still urge you to think about it. If you are a manager, ask your subordinates why they are sending certain emails. You may be surprised to hear their answers.

2. Who

Who is the receiver of your email?

If it is someone who is in a higher position than you, the tone would be more formal. If it is a colleague or a person reporting to you, the tone should be semi-formal.

If you want to be formal, you could start with: Dear Mr. So and so. If you want to be informal, go with: Hi So and so.

3. What

Once you have a clear understanding of why and who, then the next step is to answer the question: what. What pieces of information should you include in your message? What pieces of information should you leave out?

Do you remember the story of Goldilocks and the three bears?

She entered the empty cottage and there were three bowls of porridge on the table. Goldilocks selected the bowl of porridge which was neither too hot nor too cold. It was just right, temperature wise.

Similarly, when selecting information, select the relevant points. Make sure there is sufficient detail. And make sure there is no irrelevant information. Find that balance.

4. How

How will you communicate your thoughts, ideas, and information?

The kind of language you use depends on who your reader is.

For people working in the same team / department, there is a lot of shared knowledge and experience. So, you can use abbreviations and jargon — your readers will understand. Everyone’s on the same page.

However, if you are sending an email to a person outside your department / company / sector, think about what details and explanations need to be there. Are you using jargon that may not be understood? Would the reader be able to easily follow your message?

Remember this: just because what you have written is clear to YOU, it does not mean that the message will be clear to the reader.

How will you organize the email?

What piece of information comes first? What comes second? Ensure that your message is coherent. That means that there is a logical flow of thoughts / ideas / information.

Again, just because you think it is logical, that does not mean that it is. Get feedback from a colleague. Ask her if she thinks the receiver will understand your email. (This usually helps. A fresh pair of eyes is generally a good idea.)

5. Where

Nowadays, many people skim written material.

They do not see much value in taking the time to read emails. (You may be skimming these words right now.)

Imagine you send an email stating that the training session is at hotel X in city Z. After skimming your email, the reader may think that the event is at hotel X in city Y, instead of city Z. Does this type of confusion sound familiar to you?

Trust me: it happens. When stating the address of a place, be as clear as possible. Bold the details, if needed. Use space to separate the address from the rest of the text, if needed.

When possible, provide a Google Maps link as well.

While giving directions, be as precise as possible. Just because the way to the location is clear to you, it doesn’t mean… well, you know where I’m headed.

6. When

Timelines are crucial.

State clearly by when you would like the response / information. No need to be confrontational. Be polite.

You could write: I need the financial statements by 15 March.

Or: We would appreciate it if you would send us the financial statements by 15 March.

If you are communicating with people from outside India, you may want to specify the time zone, such as IST or GMT.

There is a specific aspect of when I would like to look at. Picture this: you are boiling mad, mad, mad. Your manager has sent you an email accusing you of something that you did not do. When do you send a response?

My suggestion: wait. If you feel that you need to take some immediate action, do this: write a response, but DO NOT click on the send button. Let the words simmer in your draft folder for a while. When you have calmed down, re-read your response. Have you provided sufficient evidence/justification for your assertions? Are you being as objective as possible? Are you using any emotional words that you may regret in the near future?

This is the last part of when, and is probably the most important part of this post. If you are planning to take away just one point from this post, this is it. When do you send your email? Do you send it just after typing it? I would recommend that you have a second look. Proofread. Are there any spelling errors? Is punctuation used correctly? Warning: The spell-checker function gives us a false sense of security.

Done with writing your email?

The time has come to edit.

Are your sentences well structured? Hint: In general, shorter sentences are better than longer ones. The longer the sentence, the higher the probability that it contains a grammatical error. The longer the sentence, the higher the probability that the message is not very clear. Write short sentences. Write. Short. Sentences.

Be sure that there are no errors, when it comes to grammar and vocabulary. Here are three common errors when writing an email message.

Make sure that your email makes sense to the reader.

Think about the why.

Does the email satisfy your original purpose? For example: Has the reader been reassured? Or has she been clearly informed?

When it is an important email, take more time. Answer the questions: why, who, what, how, where, and when.

Apart from the questions we have looked at, you could identify other questions which may be relevant to your message.

Slow down.

Don’t be in such a hurry. The extra few minutes you take for reviewing your email will be worthwhile. There will be a marked improvement in your communication skills.

For a different take on the topic of writing better emails, read this article from Harvard Business Review.

Here are three tips when it comes to email writing.

I understand that it may be tedious to go through this list every time you draft an email message. And you may be fine with the routine emails you need to write.

But, when it comes to difficult emails, such as raising an issue with your manager, or sending out a message to a wider audience than you are used to, I advise you to take the time and go through the list. And if you don’t want to take the time to answer all the questions, then choose an important question to answer.

To my mind, the most important question is why. For those difficult, or maybe uncomfortable emails, make sure you have a well-defined why.

Why is why so important? Because when you have a crystal-clear why, you would be able to respond in a more thoughtful, measured manner.

You’re welcome.

Image credit: Freepik.com