Business Writing 102: Emails
Intro
Communication is an essential part of human interaction. In business, your communication can have a significant impact on your results. Writing is a practical aspect of communication.
Why you want to write well
In business, writing is part of your personal branding and reputation. Think of yelling on writing (THIS IS YELLING AND IT'S NOT EDUCATE). This is part of professional details.
Why the form matters
There are formal conventions. A proper form helps with consistency. Again, think about professionalism.
Simplicity
The simpler, the better. It makes it easier to understand the message. It's better to be lean and express one key point per message. You always want to avoid confusion or overwhelming the reader.
On emails: we don't like to receive long emails, yet we send them. A shorter email is also the easiest way to write a readable one. Use maximum 5 lines.
Email Structure
After the general principle of 'less is more', which we already discussed, Chris Voss suggests 3 steps to structure an email1:
- set it up
- land it
- end positively
Warn before negative news.
Use "I'm sorry", "I'm afraid" before the bad news.
Be clear and brief in the delivery. Express that you want things to work out positively. You can put the positive opening at the end.
Suggested viewing: I Get BETTER Deals By Doing THIS In My Emails!.↩