Since a lot of our modern work communication relies on our inboxes, everyone needs to learn how to communicate effectively via email. This also applies to chemical engineers who doesn’t know a preposition from a door handle.
If you find that your email is somehow missing its target – maybe your coworkers are more confused than they were when you started the thread – there’s nothing to worry: there are ways to make sure your email comes across fluently, and you don’t have to be a literary genius to get the job done.
How to structure your email
Think of it like a rudimentary picture book that you could read to a child: there should be a beginning, a middle, and an end. No cliffhangers or untied knots if you can prevent it.
For example, when reporting to a team about a project that you are leading, first explain what the project is and what you want to achieve with it. Then describe what you have achieved and where the project could lead. Finally, complete it by asking for thoughts or questions, then bow gracefully with a formal signature.
Another way to think about it can be to reduce it to four steps. As Growth Consultancy Partners writes, You can follow this blueprint:
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- greeting
- Questions or action requested
- Concise description of context and effect
- Shut down
This may sound too simple, but it’s easy for people to get bogged down in detailed prose that deviates from the general meaning of an email. The last thing you want is to confuse the recipients on the receiving end, so use clear, simple language to keep your writing concise.
Always use a subject line in your emails
There’s nothing about email etiquette (at least to me) more despicable than an email that doesn’t deal with a subject line. For example, if you’re just trying to get someone’s attention in a pinch, write, “Can you call me?” in the body of an email – then maybe it’s okay. However, in general, emails without subject lines are annoying, for example when an accountant I used didn’t add one even though they sent me more than 50 emails in a single thread.
So whenever you’re emailing someone about something important, include the topic of your conversation in the subject line. Make it short and readable—no need to pinch yogababble. Your coworkers, who may be combing through a mountain of unread messages, will appreciate your emphasis on clarity.
Keep your emails appropriate
If you work in a corporate setting with a lot of people you only know professionally, don’t assume that everyone understands your sense of humor. If you’re not sure about a joke break, don’t include it in your email. Some jokes are better to be told in person, especially when you know your audience. Things that are said in the real world don’t always translate seamlessly into the digital world, which means you should always curb your need for jokes, especially if you can just leave the sillier conversation for happy hour.
These are just ground rules, but clarity is usually the predominant rule of email etiquette, in addition to common sense when it comes to subject lines and saving your humor for later.
