Tips for effective emails

The purpose of emails is to facilitate communication. Yet many of us find ourselves overwhelmed with incoming emails. When used correctly, emails can enable sharing of information and lead to high company performance. When used incorrectly, emails can cause relationships within organizations to crumble, or result in hasty decision-making based on incomplete information. Here are some tips to use emails effectively: 

1.     Is an email necessary? – It is difficult to read tone in emails. As such, emails do not assist people build relationships. When possible, it is better to discuss issues with people in-person, or secondly, via phone conversations. Emails are a good option only if the message is simple and does not require much discussion. For example, emails can be used to post colleagues with respect to non-controversial decisions. Or, for an ongoing project, emails can facilitate information exchange as a supplement to meetings. Lastly, emails can be used to share summarized information (such as in a spreadsheet). 





2.     What is your message? – Nothing is more boring than a long e-mail with a hidden message. Start brainstorming using the one-sentence message: if you could only write one-sentence to your recipient, what would you write? Then write out that sentence in your email. The rest of your email should be context that assists the recipient in understanding your message sentence. Once you have filled in the context, position your message sentence so that is easily readable, such as at the end of a paragraph, or as a stand-alone paragraph. 




3.     What will the recipient think/feel when they read your email? – Anticipating your recipient’s questions, concerns, and mood can be critical to effective emails. Are you requesting information within a tight timeline? If so, acknowledge it in your email, and offer to discuss strategies to meet the timeline. Does your email provide sufficient context and information for the recipient to understand your message? What will the recipient feel when they read your message? Many of these questions are difficult to answer for recipients with whom you do not have a relationship. As such, it is critical to develop such relationships outside of emails.