5 Email Writing Strategies To Avoid TL;DR
Structure your email better and get your message across
I opened up LinkedIn and saw Tim Denning’s post on why writing shorter emails can be a superpower. In Tim’s words:
We are time poor.
Long emails take time to write and edit.
Other people’s emails take time to read too.
I can totally relate to this. I am guilty at both ends — of sending long emails, and of practicing TL;DR.
In case you haven’t heard of this before:
TL;DR stands for “Too Long; Didn’t Read”
Usually there is no ill-intent whatsoever in not reading the whole email. Sometimes it’s a matter of economics — how much time we have, how many tasks we have, how long this email is, and how important it is.
When I get really long emails, many times my eyes start to glaze over and my brain starts resisting the will power to focus.
Issues
Here are some issues with long emails.
#1 Hard to Follow
When we open our inbox, we expect some kind of communication. We don’t expect to read an essay or a novel, nor do we expect to do brain acrobatics.
By the third or fourth paragraph, you as the reader will now have to scan back to the previous paragraphs to figure out how each of the points connected (if they weren’t clear).
#2 Easy to Forget
Many emails won’t have the exciting plot line of Mission Impossible, and therefore can be forgettable. By the time we hit the 10th paragraph, we may have already forgotten the original premise!
#3 Takes a Long Time to Read
We often just do not have that much time for a long email. Of course this is all relative. However, if the emails are not easy to get through, we tend to either pick up the phone and call instead, or to hop onto Slack or Teams and ask.
The Ultimate Strategy: Short Emails
Ultimately, we want short, concise, straight to the point emails. But this is easier said than done.
We want to make our emails short, but we also do not want lose the important points. This takes time, and this takes practice.
Strategies For (Slightly) Longer Emails
I am guilty of writing long emails too. There are times when it’s unavoidable.
If I do need to send slightly longer emails, I try to take these proactive approaches so that the recipient will still get the gist of the email, even if they decide to put it in the TL;DR bucket.
#1 Write Better Subject Lines
The subject line should tell the recipient what the email is about. It’s just like the headline in the newspapers. It can help your recipient decide if it’s worth reading or not.
- If the recipient does decide to glaze over the email, at least they will still know the gist.
- If the email is urgent, I send with an URGENT flag.
- If there is an action item, I send with “Action Requested” or “Reply Needed” in the subject line.
- If it is not important, I will put a “low priority” flag.
#2 Add Sections and Headings
If I do need to send longer emails, I tend to break down the emails into sections. I put headings in each section. Again, if the recipient does not have enough time to read, they can at least scroll through and still get context. They can also decide which sections they need to focus on first.
#3 Keep Sentences Short
Long sentences, like this, that combines multiple topics together and stitched by commas and other punctuations; can be really hard to read and follow; it’s just like talking without having to pause for a single breath.
#4 Use Point Form
It is easier to digest items in point form. We should take advantage of it — where it makes sense, and when it’s appropriate.
#5 Ask For Feedback (Before Sending)
Sometimes I will try and run email drafts past some colleagues to get their feedback. We can get a better sense of how clear our emails are from other people, not us.
How about you — what are your strategies to make sure your emails get read?
