Alain Guillot

Life, Leadership, and Money Matters

How to write short and to the point emails

Productivity hack: How to write short and to the point emails

In spite of all means of communication available to us, when it comes to business, email is still the leader.

The key to writing a good business email is to keep it shot and to the point.

Who wants to read a long and wordy email? No one.

We should focus on short to the point emails because:

  • People reply faster
  • They have a higher response rate

A great percentage of our emails are viewed in smart phones, so we want our message to fit into the screen without the reader having to scroll too much.

Here are 6 tips to keep your emails short

Start with the goal in mind

Try to avoid too much preamble. Say a polite “hello” and go to the point as soon as possible.

Avoid repeats

In our day to day communication, we tend to repeat ourselves too much. Sometimes those tendencies transfer to our written communication. Be on the lookout for them and eliminate them as soon as you see them.

Reduce small talk to the minimum

Small talk is polite but keep it to a minimum.

Get rid of unnecessary filler words

Often times we use filler words without noticing them. Here are some of the ones I hear most often:

  • like
  • you know
  • so
  • basically
  • as you know

Use bullet points

Bullet points are great for keeping an email short and clear. For example. A bullet point list of cooking ingredients.

Finish with a clear call to action

A call to action should include:

  • The desired action to take
  • The deadline.

A short email is good for everyone.

One thing I want more of is: less words.

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