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The trap of the long, rambling e-mail is nothing new. As Mark Twain noted long ago:
"“I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”
Three pieces of advice:
<b>(1) Write your note, then try to cut it in half. </b>
You'll find numerous extraneous words and, in the process, consciously practice writing tighter. Writing more succinctly won't feel natural until you do it repeatedly.
For example:
Happy December 1st to you! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying this first week of the busy holiday season! I am back in the states now and ready to rejoin with the team next weekend at the Silent Mile. I will be with the Charlottesville team this weekend helping with a fundraiser but am excited to have Fredericksburg and Charlottesville in town to join us next weekend for the Silent Mile and a pot luck breakfast.
Becomes:
Happy December! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am back in the States, and I will be helping the Charlottesville team with a fundraiser this weekend. I am excited to have Fredericksburg and Charlottesville in town next weekend for the Silent Mile and a potluck breakfast.
<b>(2) Figure out a logical structure that fits your content.</b>
For example: Calendar, Announcements, Fund-raiser Spotlight, Mission Moments.
Be careful to stick to a simple structure. List all the events in Calendar; by including some in Calendar and some in Announcements, you are requiring extra mental energy and creating the illusion of extra length.
<b>(3) Simplify the design. </b>
As a starting point:
-- Left-align all your text. Generally, reading centered text takes more time than left-aligned.
-- Make the headers you created in Step 2 (above) stand out by making them bold and bigger. You could add an underline or a different color, but they do not need to be purple, underlined, italic, bold, and centered.
-- Make all the text plain text, no italic, no bold, no different sizes.
-- Group information that goes together. For example:
Upcoming Dates
Run/Walk Training
Saturday, December 3rd 7:30 AM
Boat Lake, Byrd Park
Tri Training
Tuesday, December 6th 6:00 AM
North Richmond YMCA
Swim Training with Coach Will
4207 Old Brook Road Richmond, VA 23227
Becomes:
Upcoming Dates
Run/Walk Training
Saturday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 a.m. at Boat Lake, Byrd Park
Tri Training
Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 6 a.m. at North Richmond YMCA
-- Now, go back and think about what is most important in each section. Only bold the key areas to guide and separate one section from another. For example, you don't need to bold the event title, the day of the week, the time, etc. Maybe you just need to bold the event title.
This may take a while the first time, but remember: You are creating a consistent format that you can use again and again!
Good luck!
"“I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”
Three pieces of advice:
<b>(1) Write your note, then try to cut it in half. </b>
You'll find numerous extraneous words and, in the process, consciously practice writing tighter. Writing more succinctly won't feel natural until you do it repeatedly.
For example:
Happy December 1st to you! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying this first week of the busy holiday season! I am back in the states now and ready to rejoin with the team next weekend at the Silent Mile. I will be with the Charlottesville team this weekend helping with a fundraiser but am excited to have Fredericksburg and Charlottesville in town to join us next weekend for the Silent Mile and a pot luck breakfast.
Becomes:
Happy December! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am back in the States, and I will be helping the Charlottesville team with a fundraiser this weekend. I am excited to have Fredericksburg and Charlottesville in town next weekend for the Silent Mile and a potluck breakfast.
<b>(2) Figure out a logical structure that fits your content.</b>
For example: Calendar, Announcements, Fund-raiser Spotlight, Mission Moments.
Be careful to stick to a simple structure. List all the events in Calendar; by including some in Calendar and some in Announcements, you are requiring extra mental energy and creating the illusion of extra length.
<b>(3) Simplify the design. </b>
As a starting point:
-- Left-align all your text. Generally, reading centered text takes more time than left-aligned.
-- Make the headers you created in Step 2 (above) stand out by making them bold and bigger. You could add an underline or a different color, but they do not need to be purple, underlined, italic, bold, and centered.
-- Make all the text plain text, no italic, no bold, no different sizes.
-- Group information that goes together. For example:
Upcoming Dates
Run/Walk Training
Saturday, December 3rd 7:30 AM
Boat Lake, Byrd Park
Tri Training
Tuesday, December 6th 6:00 AM
North Richmond YMCA
Swim Training with Coach Will
4207 Old Brook Road Richmond, VA 23227
Becomes:
Upcoming Dates
Run/Walk Training
Saturday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 a.m. at Boat Lake, Byrd Park
Tri Training
Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 6 a.m. at North Richmond YMCA
-- Now, go back and think about what is most important in each section. Only bold the key areas to guide and separate one section from another. For example, you don't need to bold the event title, the day of the week, the time, etc. Maybe you just need to bold the event title.
This may take a while the first time, but remember: You are creating a consistent format that you can use again and again!
Good luck!
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How about sending out a newsletter?
Text isn't the best way to send this type of message because you have to read through ALL of the information to find what is relevant. A newsletter-style email with -- a text-boxed email with images would be easier to read. Especially if you send similar information from week to week, it would be easy for the readers to just skim and glance to receive your message.
Two easy to use services are mailchimp.com or constantcontact.com
Text isn't the best way to send this type of message because you have to read through ALL of the information to find what is relevant. A newsletter-style email with -- a text-boxed email with images would be easier to read. Especially if you send similar information from week to week, it would be easy for the readers to just skim and glance to receive your message.
Two easy to use services are mailchimp.com or constantcontact.com
1
In my experience as a Partner with Constant Contact, the best e-mail communications I would call engagement marketing in which the writer/author seeks to engage the audience in the venture. Recently I started using video from a flash camcorder to "highlight" a message of 60-90 seconds as a "hook" to get people interested in reading my newsletter. I keep the points brief and if someone needs further information I have a blog post to send them to for more information. Whether in retail, HR or leadership, we have to market ourselves along with our ideas.
For more background on this type marketing see www.slideshare.net for a seminar I am presenting on branding, identity, and how to develop a marketing plan.
For more background on this type marketing see www.slideshare.net for a seminar I am presenting on branding, identity, and how to develop a marketing plan.
1
Ensure you highlight the top actions taken in bullet. Detail you can provide it as paragraphs. And lastly ensure you sum up all and also ensure to get a reply from your team if any questions to be answered...
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Dear Client,
Without seeing an example first hand, I have a few thoughts about your email situation. But first I have a few questions for you.
Purpose
1. What is the objective of your weekly email? Does each weekly email states a simple, clear objective up front?
Expectations
2. Are your expectations around your email's objective/purpose clear to yourself and to your employees?
Evaluation
3. How are you measuring that the email as "hard to follow"? In other words, is it the email itself, or is something else going on with the team, such as morale or overwork issues?
Followup
4. When expectations around the weekly email are not met, how do you address the issue?
Readability
5. How are your emails designed? Categorize your points with headlines and short bullet lists. Make a point to highlight the actionable items you expect your team to respond to.
Style
6. Use active language and short sentences.
Lastly, here is a link a blog about how to email assistants from Tim Ferriss' Blog "Outsourcing Life" www.fourhourworkweek.com
Good Luck! Please let us know how it goes. (P.S. I am in no way associated with Tim or his businesses, just thought it to be a helpful resource.)
Without seeing an example first hand, I have a few thoughts about your email situation. But first I have a few questions for you.
Purpose
1. What is the objective of your weekly email? Does each weekly email states a simple, clear objective up front?
Expectations
2. Are your expectations around your email's objective/purpose clear to yourself and to your employees?
Evaluation
3. How are you measuring that the email as "hard to follow"? In other words, is it the email itself, or is something else going on with the team, such as morale or overwork issues?
Followup
4. When expectations around the weekly email are not met, how do you address the issue?
Readability
5. How are your emails designed? Categorize your points with headlines and short bullet lists. Make a point to highlight the actionable items you expect your team to respond to.
Style
6. Use active language and short sentences.
Lastly, here is a link a blog about how to email assistants from Tim Ferriss' Blog "Outsourcing Life" www.fourhourworkweek.com
Good Luck! Please let us know how it goes. (P.S. I am in no way associated with Tim or his businesses, just thought it to be a helpful resource.)
0
Is your communication, "Simple, Structured and Goal Oriented" ?
Team,
I will join you next week at the silent mile. Other attendees are: The teams from Friedericksburg and Charlottesville. Please be advised that there will be a potluck breakfast.
Hope you've had a great thanksgiving! .
Regards,
"The Pyramid Principle" by Barbara Minto - *On Structured Communication)
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Susan Quash-Mah advised on 17 Jan 2012
Consultant - Management, Organizations, Non-Profits - Academic Editor
I don't fine the number of words as much of a problem as the formatting. Condense notices of upcoming events into a line or two with bullets so that each item stands out. Then edit down longer text so that only the most important information is shared in the email with attachments or links to longer documents. Also proof your email or have someone else copy edit it for you prior to sending it to your team. Small changes can result in large improvements.
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Susan Quash-Mah advised 4 months ago
I don't fine the number of words as much of a problem as the...
I don't fine the number of words as much of a problem as the...
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