Make One Point per Email

Are you one of those people who get carried away when typing an email? Well, don’t bore everyone, it’s too much! Follow Liz’s simple strategies on how to shorten emails. 

What annoys me – emails that are too long to read!

Cut the Fluff - I get a lot of emails that start off with fluff.  It’s pleasant, but it can also be a waste of time, especially if I don't really know you, or if I’m going to see you in a meeting at 4pm. 

So, you don’t need to start every email telling people that you hoped they had a good weekend. We could assume that we all hope everyone had a good weekend, is looking forward to the upcoming one, and is generally doing well. And then get down to business (is that harsh?).

One of the advantages of email compared with traditional letters is that it doesn't cost any more to send several emails than it does to send one. So, consider writing a separate email on each subject. 

That way, your correspondent can reply to each one individually and in the appropriate time frame. One topic might only require a short reply, that he or she can send straight away. Another topic might require more research. By writing separate messages, you should get clearer answers, while helping other people manage their inboxes better.

•    Use Bullet Points

Before you fire an email off, take an extra 30 seconds and read it over. Ask yourself:

•    Is there a clear, easy-to-understand point to this email?
•    Is there anything I can take out that doesn’t add to the main point?
•    Can anything be simplified?