Have you ever heard the phrase ‘this meeting could have been an email’? In this article, we share our top tips for mastering workplace emails so you can get time back in your day, appear organized, and get people to take action!
5 Expert Tips to Email Like a Boss
Effective workplace communication has never been more important. Today’s modern work environments are not only fast-paced and demanding, but a lot of them are also remote. In these environments, it’s important that your messages are effective, timely, and to the point. After all, everyone is doing a million things and you don’t want your ask to be overlooked or forgotten. Whether you’re leading a project, asking for a status update, or providing an update yourself, how you craft your emails can have a huge bearing on team productivity and your personal brand.
In this article, we are sharing our best tips and tricks to email like a pro, including advice on formatting, structuring content, understanding when to use email versus meetings, and leveraging email tools for increased efficiency.
1. Make Your Emails Easy to Read with Smart Formatting and Bolding
The way your email looks has a huge impact on whether or not it will be effective. For instance, if you send out a lengthy note with tons of text and no structure, the chances that someone is going to take more than 3 minutes of their day to read and digest it is slim. Even if you include ‘important’ or ‘urgent’ in the title. If you invest the time to make your message clear and digestible from the start, you’ll save yourself the hassle of tracking people down and repeating what you’ve already written.
Here are some quick formatting tips you should start using today!
- TLDR (Too Long, Didn’t Read): Start your email with a brief summary or TLDR section. This is really helpful if you need to send an email with a ton of content. It provides the recipients with the key points at a glance, and allows them to make the call on whether they need to invest 10 minutes right now to read it intently.
- Bolded Words: Use bold text to highlight critical information or actions. This helps draw attention to important parts of your email and ensures that recipients don’t miss any key details or due dates.
- Color Coding: Like bolding, color coding is another great way to guide readers through your content by indicating which parts are related. If you frequently send emails in your role, consider using consistent colors for specific types of actions (e.g., green for action items). This allows recipients to better understand your communication style and know what to expect next time.
- Bullets and Lists: When presenting multiple pieces of information or steps, use bullet points or numbered lists. This makes your email more scannable and organized, improving readability and comprehension. It also helps if people have to reference back to the email for a quick gut check on a specific detail.
2. Make Your Emails Easy to Digest with Structured Content
Apart from formatting, the way you group and structure the contents of the email also matters. By organizing your email content into digestible ‘parts’, you are making it really easy for the recipient to digest the information in a logical way, thus enabling them to take faster action for you.
Here are some quick structuring tips you should start using today!
- Purpose of the Email: Begin with a clear statement of the email’s purpose. Let recipients know immediately why you are writing to them and what you expect them to do after reading.
- Actions and Owners: Clearly outline the actions required from each recipient group, what specific person is responsible for each action, and any relevant due dates. This reduces ambiguity and ensures everyone knows their role and deadlines.
- Linked Resources: Include links to relevant documents or resources in a specific section of the email. Without having to search for it within the body of the email, recipients can access the supporting documentation more easily.
- Closed Loop Communication: Avoid leaving emails open-ended. Follow up on actions and provide updates when necessary. This practice keeps everyone informed of progress and also shows that you are organized and detail-oriented.
3. Know when to send an email versus schedule a meeting
Knowing to send an email versus schedule a meeting is a fine balance. Some conversations and content are best communicated in written form, while others are best discussed in open forums where this is collaborative thinking.
Here are some guiding principles you can use to make the call:
Use Email When:
- You need to share straightforward updates with multiple recipients.
- The message doesn’t require live discussion with other stakeholders.
- You need a written record of the communication.
- There are many fine details that could be lost if communicated verbally.
Use Meetings When:
- The topic is more complex and requires real-time discussion or brainstorming.
- Immediate feedback or group decision-making is needed.
- Personal interaction or collaboration is crucial.
Remember, you can always send a follow-up or recap email after a meeting to document the discussion. It’s generally good practice to send written follow-ups after any live communication so you have something to reference back to in the future.
4. Understand and practice good email etiquette
Though often overlooked, email etiquette has a huge bearing on your personal brand at work. You certainly don’t want to be known as the employee who throws colleagues under the bus or sends sensitive information to the wrong recipients. Being mindful of proper email etiquette is really important, especially if you hold a leadership position with access to privileged information.
Here are some best practices to keep top of mind:
- Choose who to copy wisely: Only include relevant recipients in the “To” field. Use “Cc” (carbon copy) for those who need to be kept informed but are not directly involved. Avoid unnecessary “reply all” responses.
- Sensitive Information: Be cautious when sharing sensitive or confidential information. Double-check the recipient list before hitting send to ensure that only authorized individuals receive the information.
- Less is Usually More: When in doubt, start with a smaller group. You can always forward the message or add someone to the thread later. To avoid unnecessary swirl, try to limit your use of distribution lists (email aliases with many recipients) to updates that are genuinely relevant and helpful to everyone included.
Also Read Surviving a Job You Hate: Simple Strategies to Stay Sane
5. Leverage email software and tools to create efficiencies
If you send lots of emails in a day, consider using email tools and software to streamline your efforts a bit. This is especially beneficial if you’re in a customer-facing role, such as account management, where you frequently need to send updates to a large group of clients.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Schedule Send: Use the schedule send feature to ensure your email is sent at the best time for the recipients. For example, if you find yourself working super late and you want to send an email to your team, consider ‘schedule send’ so it sends first thing in the morning and you don’t disrupt someone’s evening.
- Grammar and Wording Tools: Utilize tools like Grammarly or Hemingway to check for grammar issues and improve your overall writing style. These types of tools help ensure your emails are professional sounding and error-free.
- Email Notifications: Set up Gmail settings to notify you if you haven’t received a reply to an email you sent within a set number of days. This helps you follow up on important emails and stay on top of communications.
- Snippets & Templates: Use email snippets or templates for frequently used phrases or information. This can save time and ensure consistency in your communication. See below on how to set this up in Gmail.
- Enable Templates:
- Open Gmail and click the gear icon in the top-right corner to open Settings.
- Click “See all settings.”
- Go to the “Advanced” tab.
- Find “Templates” and click “Enable.”
- Scroll down and click “Save Changes.”
- Create a Template:
- Compose a new email by clicking the “Compose” button.
- Type the content you want to save as a template.
- Click the three dots in the lower-right corner of the compose window.
- Hover over “Templates.”
- Click “Save draft as template” and then “Save as new template.”
- Enter a name for your template and click “Save.”
- Using a Template:
- Click “Compose” to start a new email.
- Click the three dots in the lower-right corner of the compose window.
- Hover over “Templates.”
- Select the template you want to use from the list.
- The content of the template will be inserted into your email.
- Managing Templates:
- To delete or update a template, compose a new email.
- Click the three dots in the lower-right corner.
- Hover over “Templates.”
- Choose “Delete template” or “Save draft as template” to update an existing template.
- Enable Templates:
- Email Software: For mass communication, consider email software like Mailchimp or Outreach. These platforms offer features like tracking, customer segmentation, and email automation, making it super easy to manage large email campaigns.
Example of a A+ Email
Subject: [Action Required] Project X Milestone Update
Hi team,
TLDR: Please review the updated project milestones and provide your feedback by Friday, August 9.
Purpose of the Email: I’m writing to update you on the latest project milestones for Project X and to request your feedback on the proposed deadlines.
Actions Needed:
- Review Milestones: Please review the attached document outlining the updated milestones.
- Provide Feedback: Share your feedback or any concerns by replying to this email by Friday, August 9.
Owners and Due Dates:
- John Doe: Review milestone 3 and provide feedback.
- Jane Smith: Review milestone 4 and confirm the deadline.
Linked Resources:
- Updated Milestones Document
Next Steps: I will follow up next week to confirm receipt of feedback and discuss any necessary adjustments.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Have a great day!
Other phrasing recommendations to drive immediate action
In this final section of this article, we wanted to offer some quick rephrasing suggestions for commonly used email phrases. By refining your phrasing and choosing your words carefully, you’ll be amazed at how much more effectively you can incite action and achieve your desired outcomes.
- Instead of: “How is the project coming along…”
Say: “Are we on track to deliver our key deliverables, and if not, where are the blockers…”
Why? This phrasing is more specific and action-oriented. It clarifies exactly what needs to be assessed—whether the project is meeting its milestones and identifying any obstacles. This way, the recipient can provide you actionable information rather than a general status update.
- Instead of: “I think we should consider…”
Say: “It would be best if we…”
Why? It provides a stronger, more definitive recommendation. By providing a more clear course of action, you not only assert your dominance, but you drive the team to a faster decision.
- Instead of: “How are you feeling about the opportunities we talked through…”
Say: “When can I expect the green light on the opportunities we discussed, or what else can I provide to help you make the decision…”
Why? This phrasing is direct and seeks a clear response. It sets a timeline for action and opens the door for additional support, making it easier for the recipient to provide a concrete answer or request further information.
- Instead of: “What time works best for you…”
Say: “Could you do next Tuesday at 9am…”
Why? Offering a specific time frame reduces the back-and-forth typically involved in scheduling. It helps the recipient respond more quickly by narrowing down the options.
- Instead of: “No worries…” (when someone asks you to do something outside of your scope)
Say: “Happy to help if it means we will hit the deadline sooner…”
Why? This phrasing shows a team-first mentality, but it also reminds the recipient that the action you are taking is outside of your normal scope. It’s important to set boundaries and ensure that everyone knows the action you are taking is above and beyond what you are required to do.
- Instead of taking hours writing a complicated email
Say: “Can you jump on the phone for 10 minutes…”
Why? Suggesting a brief phone call can often resolve issues more quickly than a lengthy email exchange. It can facilitate faster decision-making and clearer communication.
- Instead of: “I hope this lands…”
Say: “Let me know if you have any questions…”
Why? This phrasing is more actionable and invites the recipient to engage if they need further clarification. It encourages a response and helps ensure the message is understood.
- Instead of: “I hope this email finds you well…”
Say: “How are you?”
Why? Directly asking “How are you?” is more personal and engaging. Plus, this other phrase is generally too overused in the industry and tends to turn people off.
Conclusion: Expert Tips to Email Like A Boss
Being able to send an effective email is critical in any workplace, and especially one that is remote. By implementing the quick tactics outlined in this article, you will be well on your way to driving action, influencing cross-functionally, and getting the outcomes you want. Good luck!
If you enjoyed this article, make sure to check out our related article on how to influence without authority in the workplace here.
