How to Send Professional & Effective Emails
That people actually open and read!
It may be the bane of our professional existence.
It’s 9:00am and you’ve just opened your emails to what is clearly a cosmic joke. Somehow, there are more emails in your inbox than there are stars in the galaxy.
Let’s all remember this feeling as we send emails to our colleagues.
Let’s also remember that:
- a human’s attention span is roughly eight seconds;
- an office worker receivers roughly 121 emails per day;
- and an office worker sends roughly 40 business emails per day.
That’s a lot to contend with.
What’s the secret to sending effective and professional emails that will have your colleagues high-fiving you rather than wanting to throttle you?
NB: Please ensure that you are following the professional guidelines of your business in all communications.
№1 → Do you really need to send an email?
Often, our auto-pilot response for communication is email. Sometimes, however, email may not be the best solution. Depending on the context, it may be more effective to speak directly with the person. This may be the case if it’s a
- quick question or update;
- potentially sensitive topic or conversation;
- a topic that is nuanced and requires more of a discussion (rather than a 1,000 email thread)
For some teams and companies, particularly those who have a contingency of remote-workers, using programs like Doist’s Twist or Slack are a way to manage communication without relying on emails. The team at Twist writes,
“Twist makes your team communication calmer, more organized, and more productive.
Though we still use it almost every day, email is an outdated tool for teamwork. It was the backbone of the early internet, but as a tool for collaboration, it’s a flawed, fragmented method of communication that most teams can’t stand. We’re not the first people to say it and we won’t be the last.
We created Twist because we know that teams can do better work, with better tools.”
It may be the case that whilst your larger network may use email, perhaps amongst your smaller team, an email alternative could make life a bit calmer and more relaxing in the office. At BE School, we’ve used both Twist and Slack — and can rave about them both!
In any case, the point is to take a few moments before sending an email to question whether it’s the best way to communicate your message.
№2 → Be Concise & Direct
Think back to the people in your office whose emails you dread receiving. Is it because they are too long, too wordy, unclear, littered with mistakes or tonally inappropriate?
Probably.
Let’s avoid all of that with your emails and remember the statistics about attention span! Get in, get out.
The subject of the email should be an action or focus; ideally, no more than 5–6 words. For example,
- Meeting: Professional Development Training
- Presentation: Comments & Edits
- Contract: Review & Sign
- LinkedIn Campaign: New Updates & Statistics
This way, the receiver knows exactly the focus and any required actions.
As for the body of the email, that too should be concise and direct. Regardless of whether there is a lot of information, it’s important to follow these guidelines:
Polite, Short Sentences
- “Please find attached the documents I mentioned previously and would be very grateful if you would review for edits.” (polite, but wordy)
- “Please review the attached files for edits.” (polite, but concise)
Organised Layout
- Paragraphs of no more than 5–6 sentences
- Use headings and subheadings to separate topics or issues
- Incorporate bullet points (numbered or bullets) for lists
- Images should be at the bottom of your emails, rather than scattered between text
Remember, you have far more chance of communicating well if you are concise. For more information on structuring your email, read this!
№3 → Tone
You may think, “Surely, I will come across as rude and curt if I write concisely.” And there is some merit to this concern if you don’t get the tone right of your email.
You can soften or personalise your email by including genuine gratitude, kindness or interest in the person whilst maintaining professionalism. Here are a few examples:
- “On a side note, I really enjoyed your [presentation; comments; insights etc] during the meeting on Thursday!”
- “Thanks for taking the time to review this, Andrew.”
And remember, punctuation communicates a lot. An exclamation point rather than a full stop may change the entire tone of a sentence.
№4 → Spelling | Punctuation | Grammar
There is nothing quite so frustrating as receiving an email that is littered with spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes. And nothing looks more unprofessional than an email with mistakes. If someone has taken the time to read the message, they will expect the communication to be clear.
You may think that your email program’s spell-checker is good enough; it’s a start, at the very least.
Whether you use Grammarly or ask a colleague to proof-read your email, you must ensure that spelling, punctuation and grammar is on point!
№5 → Stop & Breathe
I’m not sure about you, but I’ve certainly had moments where I’ve wanted to slap someone through my computer screen after receiving their email. I’m assuming that I’m not alone in this.
My advice? Write everything you’d like to say (however you want to say it) in a Word document. Let the little devil on your shoulder take control of your keyboard. Then (and this is IMPORTANT) discard it or don’t save it. Once the steam starts to dissipate from your ears and fingertips, walk away.
Seriously.
Walk away and wander the hallways for a hot minute.
When you’re ready, and that could be the next day or a few days later, write an appropriate response that:
- reiterates their perspective/points in your own words; this is to check whether you’ve understood them correctly;
- reframes your perspective in light of their comments; and
- reasons with them, using facts/statistics/corporate guidelines/rules
Once you have written your response, ask someone you trust (who can remain objective) to read the email. Listen carefully to their advice and apply any edits you both deem reasonable.
Professional emails are not difficult to write, but they do take some thought. Go forth and conquer your inbox!
