Random Observation/Comment #427: My job at the Cooper Admissions department was crucial to my business email etiquette. Communication is almost 75% of my current job, so it single-handedly taught me to follow-up and have an easy-to-read format.

I write business emails like I blog. I give a short 3-sentence paragraph in the beginning as a background, use a lot of lists in the middle, and then end with a closing focused thought. I try to keep it short, clean, straight-forward with a purpose, and easy to read. Here’s my typical format:Hello <First Name>,Thanks for the meeting. I just wanted to summarize a few items:

<Theme>. <Summary of theme take away><Idea 1>
<Idea 2>
<Theme 2>. <Summary of theme 2 take away>

Next Steps:

<Action item> – <Resource responsible>
<Action item> – <Resource responsible>

Look forward to catching up in <time period>.Thanks,
<Me>A few things to notice:

Greeting/Closing. Most people are old school and don’t like emails without a formal “hello.” It’s never bad to have it, but could be too informal if you don’t, so put it in there unless you’re on your 3rd email back and forth.
Purpose. Use the first paragraph to put together your purpose. If you’re asking people for information, then give context. If you’re telling them news, then set it up with a short intro.
Use a list with sub lists. I always have lists. They’re everywhere in my life and it’s just so much easier to read and you’ll be able to organize information into categories.
Have a clear next steps. If you’re looking for information from someone, clearly have a next step part so people know what’s happening after the email. Do you expect someone to respond?
Bold key words. I tend to bold the beginning of lists and people’s names. If it’s super important, highlight it yellow.
Space out the text. Especially in a business email, I do not exceed 2 or 3 lines before creating a new paragraph. It just helps readability. I also try to keep the whole email shorter than a typical preview screen (e.g. 10 lines). If you have a lot of material, try sending out a separate email if you can split the focus.
Graphics. Use embedded screenshots where appropriate. A picture is worth 1000 words.

You’d be surprised at how many people don’t follow an easy-to-read email format, and how these emails are overall just ignored or glossed over. If you already follow these guidelines – Thank you!

IF YOU DON’T AND YOU ANSWER EMAILS IN ALL CAPS, SHAME ON YOU. LOUD NOISES.

~See Lemons Write Biz-e-mails

#lessonslearned #businessemails #career #emailetiquette #writing #businesswriting

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