Erica Dhawan shares some great tips about how to write better emails on Daniel Pink’s Pinkcast series. With all the communication tools we have, email is still an important part of our work life. Here are a couple of my favorite tips from the video you can use to improve and clarify your email writing:
-Help make decisions easy: Instead of asking what the other person wants to do or typing “thoughts?”, come up with options. Write out option A … B … or C … and ask which they would like to choose. This can make it easier for the reader to make one decision rather than asking for them to think through all the possibilities. If you make it easier for the recipient, they will be more likely to respond.
-Use acronyms to clarify there are several acronyms that can serve as a shorthand and save you and your readers time and make your message shorter overall. Here are a few of Dhawan’s suggestions:
- WINFY = what I need from you. Use this to tell the reader exactly what you are expecting in a response. Type “WINFY: ___” and be clear about what this email means in terms of actions for the recipient.
- NNTR = no need to respond. End your email with this to let the person know that you don’t need any response (especially a “thank you” or “you’re welcome” email). You are saying that you are perfectly fine without a confirmation that the person saw the email.
- ROM = respond on Monday. If you happen to send out an email over the weekend, especially as a supervisor, sometimes people will feel the need to get back to you immediately. Add this to your message to let them know you don’t expect a response till the person is back at work.
I like these tips for writing better emails. Erica Dhawan has also stated: “never confuse a brief message with a clear message.” This is so important, especially when we are feeling pressed for time. Make sure you are taking a moment to consider your audience and think about if it contains enough information so that they are not wondering about your intent or meaning, but short enough that the point isn’t lost. What tips do you have for writing clear, effective emails?