Tips for more effective emails

Most business people receive dozens, even hundreds, of emails each day. As email has become the primary means of communication in the professional world, it's very important to create messages that effectively communicate your point while presenting a professional image. Here are eight helpful tips for writing emails that achieve both goals.

1.  Set clear, concrete deadlines. If you're sending a task or a request for more information, don't just say, "Hope to hear from you soon". Make it clear by what time or date you need a response and write the deadline clearly, for instance: "Please respond by next Thursday, October 16th".

2. Use proper spelling and grammar. Poorly spelled or grammatically incorrect emails make you appear unprofessional and reduce the effectiveness of your communication. Always double-check your emails before sending them, and make use of spelling and grammar-check tools.

3. Think (and read) before you write. In our haste to respond to all our emails in a timely fashion, many of us neglect to fully read the mail we're answering and thus may overlook crucial bits of information. This can lead to even more emails in order to clarify what was overlooked or misunderstood. So before you send a response, make sure you've completely read and understood the original email; if not, ask for a clarification to avoid further confusion.

4. Be polite. Email is a convenient way to communicate, but convenience shouldn't be an excuse for overlooking basic etiquette. When you're communicating with colleagues, clients or superiors, it's important not to overlook basic courtesies. Address the recipient with a greeting like "Hello" or "Dear", and be sure to include a closing salutation like "Regards". And always use "Please" and "Thank you"!

5. Use subject lines effectively. Your subject line should be a concise synopsis of the content of your email. The recipient should immediately know at a glance what the email contains or what the request is - for example, "Follow up from meeting Friday, January 18th".

6. Limit the use of the To:, Cc:, and Bcc: fields. Most of us already have a problem with inbox overflow. Help cut down on unnecessary emails by limiting the number of people you send emails to. It's tempting, especially when working on a group project, to include every member of the team on every email. But a better approach is to make sure everyone you ‘Cc' is someone who needs to review the email. When using ‘Bcc' remember that if the blind copied person responds all, it will go all people on the email, which could certainly lead to problems.

7. Keep it brief. Long, rambling emails are time-consuming to write and to read. Keep it concise, including only the most important details, and be sure to get straight to the point. If an in-depth discussion is needed, schedule a phone call rather than trading lengthy emails. It's usually more efficient. Also, don't be afraid to use bullet points or numbers to better organize your thoughts.

8. Use the journalism ‘inverted pyramid' format. Busy people want to get the point quickly. To make sure your critical information or request isn't lost or overlooked in a sea of less-important details, use a journalistic technique known as the ‘inverted pyramid'. In this format, the most important information (who, what, where, when, why and how) is contained in the beginning of your email and the least important information at the end.

When you make the effort to write the best emails possible, you improve your professional image as well as your efficiency on the job. Better communication always creates better results!