Email That Gets Results – Do These 5 Things And Spend Less Time Following Up

​In the modern business world, we have lots of quick and easy channels of communication.  Remember the old days when we used to actually have to write a memo (on paper) and actually send it to someone?  Now we have instant communications with email, IM, text…  Things should get done faster and better now right?  Well that’s not exactly how things have evolved.  

​​With the essay and instant access to electronic communication, this has exponentially increased the volume of communications that each of us gets barraged with each and every day.  And it also makes it more likely that some (or many…or most) communications will be hastily composed, not proofread and quickly sent out in an attempt to move something along (to someone else) and to generally look busy (but not necessarily productive).  After all, there is no paper wasted, so why not just get it out quickly, a follow up email can be sent if there was something missed or incorrect, nothing wasted right?
The downside of this approach is that this is wasting people’s time reading incomplete, incorrect or incoherent communications which then require additional communications to attempt to clarify the first ones, which may not be sufficient which lead to more communications….   
Time is a very valuable resource that most organizations cannot afford to waste.  Think about how much money you earn per hour and how much it costs for you to have to read and re-read and re-ask about unclear emails.  This is definitely a drain on productivity which can and should be addressed in order to be more effective while using less time and effort.  Clear communication reduces waste, 
So what is clear communication?  Let’s take an example of email.  Many tasks and pieces of key information are managed these days by using email.  So if this is the primary sources for managing key initiatives, how should the information be presented in an email? 
Here are 5 elements of an effective email:

1. An Effective Subject Line: The subject line clearly tells the recipient what the mail is about.  This allows them to focus on the task at hand while they are reading the email.  A subject line such as “Budgetary Quotation For X3 Network Server Needed by 4 PM Today (Thursday Dec 4)” clearly states the purpose of the communication.  “Quote needed ASAP” does not provide the same level of clarity, and it may leave the reader searching and trying to guess what the email is all about.  Adding “ASAP” or “***URGENT***!!!!!” just makes people stressed and feel like they are being blamed for being late on something – they will not be in the best mindset to produce the most effective results as they are now on the defensive and need to fire back and quickly answer to shift the blame away from themselves.  If something is truly urgent, far better to state what it is and when it is needed, no UPPERCASE letters and No special characters***!!!!!! needed.  
2. Communication Is Focused and Complete: Get to the point and provide the reader with the information they need to take an action or make a decision or whatever the intent of the communication is.  Stick to the topic at hand and do not add in any other information that is not required to complete the intended action of the email.  If there is key information they need, include it in the email text so they have it right there as they are reading it, don’t rely on attachments and links that force the readers to jump to other places to search for information.  This drains productive time and gives people an excuse to put off taking action “I don’t have to time read a ##-page document right now….”.  Attachments are great as supporting documentation, but if there is a key piece of information that someone needs to make a decisions / take an action, let them know right in the email.  Examples are price of something, requirements stated in regulations, industry trend, current event, etc.  Don’t send people off to read the sports section if all they need to make a decision is the final score from the last game.  Once they leave your email, there is a real risk they will get distracted, bored, frustrated or lost and not get back to you any time soon.
3. Communication is Clearly Structured: The overall structure of any written communication should have a beginning, middle and end.  The beginning should be the salutation / greeting which clearly states who the communication is intended for (Dear Jane or Hi Bill and Jack…..).  The middle section should include a clear statement indicating the purpose / intent of the communication and key information needed to be conveyed.  The end is the closing, just like in the old days of writing a letter (Regards, Sincerely, Thanks…..  you name).  The end should also include title and contact information for communication with people who do not work closely with you.
4. Text Is Easy to Follow:  Long paragraphs with lots of information are not effective in communicating the need for an action.  Some may think this makes them seem more knowledgeable on the subject, but resist this temptation.  A far greater skill is to be able to take complex information and bold it down to a few key points to convey to others who only need to understand the big picture in order to make an informed decision and not get into the details.   Your job is to inform them and not overwhelm them.  This is accomplished by limiting the amount of text needed to convey the information, focusing on the important points and breaking down large dense paragraphs into small focused statements.  Bullet points work well, or spaces between short sections of text.  Breaking out each point makes it easier for the reader to follow and reduces eye fatigue, skimming over and missing key points, boredom, etc. 
5. Actions should Be Addressed To A Specific Person: When multiple people are included in the To: of an email, it commonly happens that one person thinks that one of the other people will address this, and then if the other person thinks the first person will address this, and so on and son on…..the action never gets taken and the issue is never addressed.  It should be very clear who is responsible to do what.  Either the email needs to be addressed to one individual and addressed to them (just this person is in the To: field, and their name is mentioned in the beginning of the email), or if the action requires more than one person, then each person’s name needs to be mentioned in the email with corresponding specific actions.   For example, an email requiring actions from multiple people could be addressed to Sue and Joe and should be structured to state something like:

“Hi Sue and Joe,  
To follow up on the requirements for implementing the new network server, the following will be required: 

• Sue – Issue the purchase order for the XYZ server hardware. This is needed by June 2.  
• Joe – Obtain the required set of 100 software licenses from ABC company.  This is needed by June 15.

Thank you,
Jane”