DON’T REPLY ALL
18 Email Tactics That Help You Write Better Emails
and Improve Communication with Your Team
A S S I G N TA S K S U S I N G T H E 3 W S
#1
3Ws: Who, What, and When (every task should have all 3)
1.WHO 2.WHAT 3.WHEN
Name of a specific Explicit description Exact date and time
person (not a group) (no assumptions) (clear deadline)
Example: “Sam, please send me the updated status
report by Monday, Nov 23 at 3pm US Eastern Time”
WRITE THE PERFECT SUBJECT LINE
#2
Two-second overview of your email (like the headline of an article)
TIP 1 TIP 2
Summarize the 3Ws Use prefix modifiers (avoid a suffix)
• Example: “Sam/Jim/Karla - need • Example: “[URGENT] Info regarding your Dec 1st
those actions by tom COB” trip”
TIP 3 TIP 4
Write the entire email in the subject line Change the subject line only when the
• Use EOM (End of Message) subject changes
• Example: “We’re going to Border Cafe for lunch
@1pm <EOM>”
T L ; D R * – W R I T E E M A I L S T H AT A R E 5 S E N T E N C E S O R L E S S
#3
Shorter emails get addressed faster (5 sentences or less is the sweet spot)
TIP 1 TIP 2 TIP 3
Know what you want Get to that point Highlight a lack of
immediately required response
• Ask yourself “What do I
really want the recipient to
(or action)
• Don’t dance around or pad
know or do?” your message with useless • Examples: “FYI,” “NNTR,” or
verbiage “No Action Needed”
*TL;DR stands for Too Long; Didn’t Read
B R E A K LO N G E M A I L S I N TO T W O PA R T S
#4
Label them “Quick Summary” and “Details”
PA RT 1 : Q u i c k S u m m a r y PA RT 2 : D e t a i l s
Keep this part 5 sentences Elaborate on the summary
or less
• Include any background or supporting
• Summarize the main gist of your information
message
M A K E YO U R E M A I L S S C A N N A B L E
#5
People don’t read emails anymore (they just scan them)
TIP 1 TIP 2
Use bullet points for all Use sub-headings, white space,
your actions and questions highlights and/or bold text
• Separate them out and don’t • Make it easy for readers to scan for important
bury them in paragraphs information
S H O W I N S T E A D O F T E L L BY AT TA C H I N G S C R E E N S H OT S
#6
Screenshots make everyone’s life easier
TIP 1 TIP 2
Use screenshots to save Press “PrtSc” on a PC or
time and improve clarity “Command+Shift+3” on a Mac
• Give someone step-by-step • Or use Evernote, Skitch, or Snipping Tool
instructions or highlight a slide in
an attached PPT deck
S P E L L O U T T I M E Z O N E S , D AT E S , A N D A C R O N Y M S
#7
Avoid useless back & forth emails by being specific
TIP 1 TIP 2
Get the time zones spelled Do the same for acronyms
out clearly
• Spell out acronyms at least once in an
• Mention the exact time zone, day, email
and date. • Type the phrase with the acronym in
• Example: “How about tomorrow, parentheses immediately afterward
Friday, July 16, 2016 at 8:30am US
Eastern Time?”
U S E “ I F… T H E N …” S TAT E M E N T S
#8
They hold people accountable, clarify expectations, and reduce the amount of follow-ups
TIP 1 TIP 2
Use “If…then…” for clarity on next steps Use “If…then…” to explain assumptions
• Example: “If you have any other questions, then • Example: “Your note wasn’t very clear to me. If you
please call the support desk at XXX-XXX-XXXX.” meant <A>, then I suggest we do <X>.”
TIP 3 TIP 4
Use “If…then…” for accountability Use “If… then…” for reminders
• Example: “If I don’t hear back by Friday Jan 15 at • Example: “If I don’t respond back to you by later
noon Central Time, then I’ll assume you’re good.” tonight, then please remind me again tomorrow
morning.”
PRESENT OPTIONS INSTEAD OF OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS
#9
Email is a horrible medium for brainstorming and long-form discussions
TIP 1 TIP 2
Present clear options Give alternatives when scheduling
meetings
• Instead of asking “What do you
guys think about this?” you can • Instead of asking “When do you think we
say “Do you think we should do should meet?” give them two or three date &
A, B or C?” time options to choose from
R E - R E A D YO U R E M A I L O N C E F O R A C O N T E N T C H E C K
#10
Content mistakes include replying to the wrong question, stating the facts incorrectly,
adding in the wrong date, or just not making sense whatsoever
TIP 1 TIP 2
Re-read your entire email Re-read the questions and your
answers
• Re-read your entire email from
top to bottom. Not a portion of • Re-reading the questions as well as the
it. Not just the actions. All of it. answers helps ensure that your responses
make sense before you reply
S AV E D R A F T S O F R E P E T I T I V E E M A I L S
#11
A standard format improves communication with your team members
TIP 1 TIP 2
Use a template for weekly and Save drafts based on client or topic
monthly status calls
• This keeps the communication flow
• A similar look and feel helps with consistent across your different teams and
readability over time customers
W R I T E I T N O W, S E N D I T L AT E R U S I N G D E L AY D E L I V E R Y
#12
Schedule messages to go out anytime from a few minutes to a few weeks later
TIP 1 TIP 2
Use delay delivery to send emails Use delay delivery as a reminder tool
when they’re most likely to be read
• Schedule emails to be sent as reminders to
• Ensure a maximum open rate by sending your team before a certain deadline
messages during your recipients’ normal
working hours
D O N ’ T R E P LY A L L ( U N L E S S YO U A B S O L U T E LY H AV E TO )
#13
Reply all is a horrible feature when it’s misused
TIP 1 TIP 2
Apply the golden rule of reply all Mention when you’re removing members
• Don’t use reply all when only the original sender from the reply all list
needs to read your message • State that at the top of your email so that everyone
is aware (e.g., “Removing Customer”)
TIP 3 TIP 4
Send a follow-up reply all email after any State what you want your recipients to
offline discussions do
• Summarize offline discussions and proactively send a • Let them know at the end of your email if you
follow-up email to the team want them to reply all to the message or to
unicast back to you alone
R E P LY TO Q U E S T I O N S I N L I N E
#14
Answer immediately after the questions themselves
TIP 1 TIP 2 TIP 3
Use a different color Copy the original If the questions were not
font* questions in your reply separated out, then do
that yourself
• Choose a darker colored font • Copy the entire list of
instead of a lighter one questions from the original • Copy/ paste any hidden
because the former is easier email, paste them in your questions, list them out in
to see on a white background own email message, and then separate bullet points in your
• You can also use a bold fonts answer them to improve reply, and then answer them
instead of different colors readability
*If you use a different color font, make sure your recipients are not color-blind first.
R E P LY I M M E D I AT E LY TO T I M E - S E N S I T I V E E M A I L S
#15
Send a quick acknowledgement email to calm people down
TIP 1 TIP 2
Make sure the acknowledgment is Spell out your need for an
meaningful acknowledgment
• Add a little bit of information to explain what • Let your readers know that you want them to
your response means so that your readers are acknowledge your own emails
reassured • Example: “Please confirm that you received
• Don’t reply with just an “Ok” unless it makes this email and that you’ll get this done.”
sense to do so
R E A D T H E L AT E S T E M A I L B E F O R E R E S P O N D I N G
#16
A response could be based on outdated information because some newer messages were
left unopened
TIP 1 TIP 2
Sort your email messages by subject If you make a mistake, correct it by
replying back to the team
• Click on the email subject you want to find,
then sort by the “Subject” field to view all • Do everyone a favor and immediately
related emails consecutively respond with a clarification if you
• You can also use “conversation threading” unintentionally reply to an outdated email
where messages with the same subject line
are visually grouped together
W R I T E T H E P E R F E C T O U T - O F - O F F I C E ( O O O ) A U TO R E P LY
#17
Set up an automated message when you’re unreachable through email
TIP 1 TIP 2
Always set up an OOO reply Make sure the OOO is meaningful
• Don’t leave anyone hanging and unsure • State the exact dates, highlight your backup
about why you’re not responsive contacts, and set the right expectations
SHARE THE RULES OF EMAIL AHEAD OF TIME
#18
Establish ground rules so that everyone communicates more effectively
TIP 1 TIP 2
Set up a short meeting with your Be flexible on the rules
team
• Use what you like, delete what you don’t, and
• Go over the best practices and make add any new ones that apply to your team
sure everyone agrees on them ahead of
time
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