What your Emails Say About You
Optimize team management in minutes with ManageBetter. Start your free trial now and join Uber and Microsoft in boosting performance, gathering insights, and generating reviews—all AI-powered, no writing required.
Introduction
Emails are a form of necessary communication in the workplace, but this format consumes a horrifying amount of the workday. According to a study conducted by Adobe, employees spend around 3.1 hours a day checking their work emails. Think about the amount of time spent reading confusing and unnecessary emails. Or, reflect on how long it can take to write up responses or discuss information over email. All these hours spent deliberating over email can be simplified and made more organized with some tips and reflection:
Make Use of the Subject Lines
This is especially important for remote workers and their managers. Subject lines are the first thing individuals see when they look at an email, and 33% of individuals will make a decision to open an email based on the subject line. Therefore, it is crucial to make sure your subject lines are clear and present the task/action item, so your request doesn’t get lost in the sea of emails. Here are some key tips to maximize the subject line:
Include how long a task will take to complete if possible
Present the action item instead of simply saying “Action Required”
Use Names in Subject Line
Subject lines are a great place to demonstrate your communication skills, so make sure you convey your thoughts directly and include necessary details only.
Don’t Write Long Emails If Not Necessary
Emails are not a place to rant on and on. Frankly, people may not even read to the end of the email. Therefore, focus on making the email concise and only state information that is necessary. Take some time to consider if background information is crucial to the content of the email. If it isn’t, maybe choose to label that a section called background information in the email, so the receiver can skip it if they desire. Again, just focus on being concise and clear in the message.
Understand the Tone of the Email
Tone can be difficult to assess in written language, but your word choice and sentence structure can influence a perceived tone to the receiver. Understand when it is appropriate to use a more relaxed tone, such as speaking to another employee or thanking them for doing something for you. Know when to use a more professional tone, such as communicating with a client. When you are unsure of what tone to use, consider just being professional to err on the side of caution. It can never hurt to act overly professional, but it can be detrimental to act unprofessionally.
Organize the Email Accordingly
Take time to consider the structure of your email. Carefully place action items at the top, so that the reader can quickly see what is necessary to complete. Add some directions and details in a structured manner, giving each section a heading for the reader to briefly understand what they are about to read. Consider adding hyperlinks when necessary, so the receiver can dive more deeply into the information when necessary.
Know When Email is the Best Form Of Communication
Some conversations need to happen in person or over the phone. Specifically, don’t give someone bad news or criticisms over email. Topics such as performance reviews and behavior should be discussed over the phone or in person. Even initial communications with a client might be best over the phone. Here, take some time to reflect and put yourself in the shoes of the receiver, would you prefer the communication over email or in person? Sometimes, a simple conversation can save the time of a long confusing email chain to explain something.
Make a Lasting Positive First Impression Over Email
People will judge you based on emails. If you sound overly harsh or intense, your employees or prospective customers may not be as willing to work with you. This is especially true in the process of hiring new employees when you might make the first impression by introducing yourself to a potential hire. Make any individual you speak to over email feel welcomed and understood. Consider these tools:
Use an active tone in your writing
Make sure to greet the individual in the email
Add a closing remark to the email
Conclusion
As a manager, consider the emails you write as examples of email etiquette to your employees. They will be receptive to your skills and may mimic the same style. Enforce email etiquette within your workplace, as it is crucial to communicate with one another with respect. If you have an employee struggling with email etiquette, consider ManageBetter's ActionPlan to create personalized goals and track their progress in improving their email style. Ultimately, your email style is a reflection of your personal character, leadership talent, and communication skills, so take some time to experiment with new email tricks to see how you can make emails more effective in your workplace.
Sharpen Your Leadership Edge: Join 3,000+ executives receiving weekly, actionable insights from industry experts. Subscribe free to The Thoughtful Leader and elevate your team's performance.