Tips for Writing Effective Emails

Email have become an intrinsic part of personal and business life. However, we often write emails without considering the best approach and style. These are some suggestions to write more effective emails and avoid any potential embarrassment that a badly written email can give.

Make it Clear.

The first rule for writing an effective email is that the message and content should be clear. Unfortunately I often receive emails with about 7 different questions all in the same sentence. It makes replying very difficult. To write with clarity it is essential to keep the message no longer than necessary. Also try to stick to just one point. If you want to cover several topics, write different emails with the title showing the correct topic. This also makes archiving emails easier.

Keep it Simple and Short

Related to the first point about clarity, simplicity is the essence of a good email. Try and convey the point using the minimum number of sentences and words. For example, if you are writing about a solution to the problem, don’t add a lengthy story about why you have been delayed in answering. If a word doesn’t add anything worthwhile, leave it out.

Don’t Be Vague

Before writing an email, have a clear idea about its purpose. If necessary ask direct questions, or strongly suggest some alternatives. Don’t leave it open ended and vague – get to the point.

Good Use of Language

I think it is a mistake to feel that just because it is an email we can ignore the basic essentials of English language. Maybe we got into bad habits when dealing with friends. But, we increasingly use emails for dealing with official business; in these cases the quality of English should be similar to a letter. Remember the quality of your English will also have a subconscious impact on how you are perceived by others. If you can’t be bothered to use a spell checker and capitalise the letter i, it doesn’t look good.

The importance of Reflection

The ease of which we can write emails, is also a potential problem. Most people will have had the experience of sending an email, which soon after, they regret writing. For any important or contentious issue, it is always best to ‘let it lie for a while’ before posting. A delayed email is better than an email which creates more problems. If you have any hesitation in sending, you could also ask for a second opinion from a trusted friend. They may be able to offer a dispassionate perspective on your email.

Be Polite

If you are writing an email about a complaint, it is important to keep it polite and avoid language that might be regretted later. Remember that an email can easily be misinterpreted because it is a very limited form of communication; usually when we speak we have the added benefit of using facial expressions. For example, we may say something in a sarcastic manner, in verbal communication this is fine because people see we are joking; but, with an email our ‘humour’ can easily be misinterpreted. With this in mind it is always better to be polite and conservative.

Is it Necessary?

We can make the mistakes of sending too many emails. Some issues may be better dealt with by telephone or meeting the person. If the issues is very sensitive consider whether you will have more success by speaking in person. Basically, don’t write if not necessary.

Set Time Aside for Writing Emails.

It is easy to check our emails too often. Just because we have a few minutes to spare doesn’t mean we should check our email yet again. The problem is that if we try to answer emails when we have a shortage of time, our answers will be rushed and maybe inappropriate. It is better to set aside one or two periods in the day when we can write the best response without any undue time pressure.

Ignore Criticism.

Sometimes you may receive an email which is complaining about a certain issue and furthermore adds personal criticism. It is difficult to respond to criticism like this. However, one option which I find successful is to ignore the personal criticism and just address the issue at hand. If you start defending yourself or respond in a similar way you will get drawn into an unnecessary dispute.

The Welcoming Email.

If you have a new customer or new reader of your blog, a quick email is an effective way to build up a closer relationship. A short welcoming email is non obtrusive and helps to reduce the distance between yourself and your readers. For example, if I receive a comment from a new reader I will try and reply with a short message like:
“Thanks for your comment, it is much appreciated. We hope you will enjoy our future blog posts.”

I prefer a personalised message to an automated welcoming message you can get from a plugin. This quick email does 2 things:

• gives appreciation to reader (could also be a customer)
• It also gives an encouragement for the reader to come back to the promised future blog posts.

When to end an Email Conversation.

A good question about emails is when to end the conversation. Once the business is achieved it is fine to stop. However, in some circumstances it might be appropriate to acknowledge the feedback with a thank-you. There are no hard and fast rules, but, as a general suggestion if it is the first time of conversing with others, thanking others can be a good touch.

Acknowledging Others

When we become busy, we can become overwhelmed with emails. However, there is a lot to be said for acknowledging every important request, enquiry. Even if we can’t deal with it, it is nice to get something in return. If you find this idea very difficult, make use of draft messages and automated response. For example, if you write to a top blogger. You may get an email reply like this. “thanks for you email. I will try answer it, but, due to the volume of emails it may not be possible to answer every one.” This is a reasonable point, and if you don’t have time to respond at least you have made some effort.

Related Posts

• How To Avoid Email Embarrassment
• The Art of Writing Emails