Listen to this article narrated by the author on Youtube

I have to say, as far as written two-way communication goes, email is my favorite. Texting is too invasive and can only be done on a phone, which is not ideal in most work situations. Social media messaging apps are annoying and tend to invite DMs from weird strangers who simply write “hi beautiful”, so I generally keep notifications turned off. Email has spam filters and the ability to snooze messages. It’s also expected to be answered when it is convenient rather than immediately. But one thing I don’t like about email (and I bet many of you agree) is that some people forget that they are writing an email and think they are writing a novel. 

I can be guilty of this at times, so one trick I use to check myself is to look at the draft on my phone email app. If the message, including my signature and logo is too long to fit on one screen, I need to go back and trim some fat. 

Everyone knows that run-on sentences are bad, but I would add that in emails, not all sentences even need to be complete. Let’s normalize using bullet points and eliminating flowery language.  

Concise emails are better than “polite” emails. Here’s an example of a “polite” email:

Hi Jimothy. I’m excited to work with you on this project. I really enjoy your other work and I feel that we will make a great team! 
I plan to have all of my component parts ready for you by May 24th, or possibly May 25th at the latest, depending on when I receive the data which I need to process before I can send you my part. 
I’ve set up a folder where I will be sending my files. I will let you know once I have uploaded them, which again, should be in around two weeks (either May 24th or 25th). 
Does this schedule work for you? Let me know if there are any issues, or if you have any questions about the project. 

Thank you for your time. 

Kind regards, 
Clemantha

Here is a concise and arguably better email: 

Hi Jimothy. I’m excited to work with you! 
I’ll upload my files to THIS FOLDER and alert you no later than May 25th.
Any issues, let me know. 

Thanks! 

Kind regards, 
Clemantha. 

Prioritizing brevity over politeness is arguably more polite. By keeping an email straight to the point, you demand less of another’s time and brain energy. The reader is also more likely to read and comprehend the entire message, and less likely to put it on their “to be dealt with later” list. If concise emails seem like a dramatic change to you, simply start by going over your emails before you send them, and checking for redundancies. You may find this alone to make for a cleaner, more intelligible message. 

Thanks for reading!

Rebecca H. Lee

You can visit my narration website at becksvoice.com

Or connect with me at:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-h-lee-audiobook-narrator/
https://bsky.app/profile/beckcentric.bsky.social
https://www.youtube.com/@RebeccaHLee
https://www.instagram.com/beckcentric
https://www.facebook.com/beckcentric