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How to Write an Email

blog.dannycastonguay.com

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Re: How to Write an Email

#11

Post by stronglikedan »

realityfactchex wrote: post #9

All emails should be 2 lines only, is something I learned when I started working in an office. For example, WHAT YOU ARE SAYING WHAT YOU NEED FROM YOUR AUDIENCE (RESPONSE OR DECISION OR ACTION ETC) My boss taught me this. Because people just don't read long emails. Simple as. Do YOU (want to or have time to) read someone else's long emails? As time goes on, often I say (to myself) "forget that", and write all the det…

Most orgs still rely heavily on email, and most emails should be more than two lines to be useful. If it's only two lines, Slack it.

Re: How to Write an Email

#12

Post by [deleted] »

realityfactchex wrote: post #9

All emails should be 2 lines only, is something I learned when I started working in an office. For example, WHAT YOU ARE SAYING WHAT YOU NEED FROM YOUR AUDIENCE (RESPONSE OR DECISION OR ACTION ETC) My boss taught me this. Because people just don't read long emails. Simple as. Do YOU (want to or have time to) read someone else's long emails? As time goes on, often I say (to myself) "forget that", and write all the det…

[deleted]

Re: How to Write an Email

#13

Post by nlawalker »

realityfactchex wrote: post #9

All emails should be 2 lines only, is something I learned when I started working in an office. For example, WHAT YOU ARE SAYING WHAT YOU NEED FROM YOUR AUDIENCE (RESPONSE OR DECISION OR ACTION ETC) My boss taught me this. Because people just don't read long emails. Simple as. Do YOU (want to or have time to) read someone else's long emails? As time goes on, often I say (to myself) "forget that", and write all the det…

I prefer adding the detail; if it's going to turn into a phone call anyway I might as well have a script ready to go.

Re: How to Write an Email

#16

Post by apparent »

I find that making the very last sentence a question makes it much more likely that I'll get a response than if the question is anywhere else in the email. The person needs to finish reading the email with the question, which prompts them to hit reply and answer it.

The immediate-response-rate goes down even more if the input being sought is not framed as a question ("I've been trying to figure out how to handle this situation" versus "Which do you think is the better route?").

Of course, some people will still respond regardless, but I've found that in both personal and business emails, keeping an email short and finishing with a question mark is the best way to ensure a rapid response.

Re: How to Write an Email

#17

Post by sdevonoes »

jaffa2 wrote: post #6

in his email he says : Please reply by 3 pm today so we can confirm with the client. in my experience when an action relies on somebody 'coming back' ESPECIALLY if it's a client. (do you want this, or that?) It's best to tell them what you are going to do, unless they confirm otherwise. e.g. We will proceed with removing feature Y to meet deadline of Mar 19, unless otherwise directed by 3pm today. This avoids the lim…

Certainly I have never been in such a situation, but just for me to understand: if the sender has enough decision power to move forward with a default action without confirmation, then the email is simply a polite notice to someone above in the command chain, isn’t it?

Why the email then? Wouldn’t a record of the decision (not via email , but in some confluence-like space) be enough? If the confirmation is really needed then a default action wouldn’t be possible, ofc

Re: How to Write an Email

#18

Post by robinsonb5 »

apparent wrote: post #16

I find that making the very last sentence a question makes it much more likely that I'll get a response than if the question is anywhere else in the email. The person needs to finish reading the email with the question, which prompts them to hit reply and answer it. The immediate-response-rate goes down even more if the input being sought is not framed as a question ("I've been trying to figure out how to handle this…

Also, strictly one question per email - otherwise only the first will be answered and any others ignored!

Re: How to Write an Email

#19

Post by al_borland »

xlii wrote: post #8

Dear Aunt Bee, Thank you for the sweater. https://tinyurl.com/z9m89k2z

I took technical writing my freshman year of college. The teacher said I was a natural. I then transferred to the business college and they beat that right out of me.
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