Writing Email: Be Succinct

When it comes to verbose work emails that force me to comb through each tedious paragraph for the main points, I find that my patience wears thin. It's perhaps for this very reason that I strive to be succint in my own email communication. I know that the inboxes of my recipients are flooded on a daily basis, so I don't want to add to the noise and clutter. A well-crafted, succinct message has a far greater chance to cut through the noise and get a response. The advantage is two-fold: not only does my recipient benefit, but I likewise benefit when I'm forced to boil my message down to its essence.

I'm a big fan of short paragraphs and bulleted lists. As a best practice, this is validated by Web content strategists. Brain Traffic, one such firm, offers this advice in their post on Web Writing for Email:

• Don’t use ambiguous language.

• Eliminate unnecessary words.

• Keep your sentences and paragraphs short.

• When making lists, use bullets.

• When giving instruction or steps, use numbered lists.

• Your last sentence should include a clear call to action.