There’s one simple thing you can do to save time every day at work.

>> Change the way you write emails.

 

Email has been the most common communication method at work for the past 25 years. Even with the growth in group chat and messaging services like Teams and Slack, email still dominates.

Given the high number of emails sent every day (376.5 Billion!), and the amount of time the average worker spends on email (5 – 8hrs per week) you’d think we would get more training on how to write an effective email.

But we don’t, at least that’s what the people I spoke to say.

 

QUESTION: How much training have you had on creating emails?

I’m going to guess the answer is none.

 

If you saw last week’s newsletter you’d have seen that email is one of the nine most common communication situations we experience at work. That means anything we can do to improve the efficiency of email at work will make a noticeable difference in our work day. I don’t know about you but I appreciate anything that makes my work day easier.

What does more efficient email really mean? Studies show these are the kind of results will you get if you change the way you write emails:

  • Spend less time writing emails
  • Receive fewer emails
  • Get better quality replies

The great news is you don’t need to study email writing for weeks or months. You can make simple changes right now and start seeing results today.

To help you get started, here is a 1-page guide to structuring work emails. The simple tips in this guide take just a few minutes to learn and will immediately improve the clarity of your messages.

 

a visual guide to writing work emails

(Click on image to expand)

 

  • Simple changes to layout and format will immediately improve the clarity of an email.
  • A few seconds spent writing a subject line greatly increase the chance the email is read.
  • Adding a short introduction improves the chances you’ll get a quality response.

Try them, and see how much of a difference they make for you.

 

These aren’t the only things you can do to improve your work emails. There are dozens of small changes that make it easier for people to read and understand your emails. All of which increase the likelihood of them taking the action you want or replying with the information you need.

You can find the complete list, along with explanations and examples, in my award-winning book, Effective Emails. Available wherever you like to buy books.

 

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If you’re interested in seeing where I get the info and stats, check out the links below.

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