Daily Archives: December 13, 2010

3 Tips to Writing More Effective Emails to Get the Response You Need

3tipsforemails An estimated 247 billion emails are sent every day worldwide, according to Royal Pingdom, an internet and web development company that monitors website and server performance. Workers everywhere are being overloaded with email messages whether it’s the latest forward or a follow-up message from their employers. With so many messages coming and going, how do you make sure the emails you send to your boss and co-workers don’t get lost in their inboxes only to be forgotten or ignored?

Your time at work is valuable and limited. And, your projects can’t always wait for a co-worker to respond to an email. But, your teammates’ time is valuable too. So, help them out by writing more effective emails that will save them time and get you the response you need.

Use the email subject line wisely.
To ensure your email message is opened and read, include a subject line that is clear and concise. If possible, add information like an action item or deadline time.

Place important information up top.
The most critical information like the action steps the recipient needs to take and when you need a response should be listed first. This ensures the reader gets the information they need to know up front. And, if there are action steps to follow up with, they may be able to get the job done more quickly.

Make your emails scanable.
With today’s busy work environment, most of us don’t have a lot of time to read novel-long emails. Help save your teammates the headache of deciphering the information by making your content scanable and precise. Break up larger content by using bullets or paragraph indentions. Highlight important information by bolding or underlining key points.

We’re all pressed for time. It’s easy to type out an email without thinking about it. But if you take just a little more time to craft a message that is effective and saves your co-workers time, you just may get what you need from them without having to send a second or third email reminder. So get in the habit of making your emails scanable. Use your subject line wisely by including pertinent information. And, place the important information at the top for an email that gets you what you need faster.