2009-12-12
What follows is a summary of Mark O'Sullivan's blog post, Don't Suck at Email.
The term "suck less" used here comes from The secret of success: suck less.
You want something.
The goal is to start a conversation that the other person is invested in, then detailed questions may be asked and more information supplied.
If you go above three sentences a reply is unlikely. The response and desired outcome are more likely by getting the point across succinctly.
Subject: two to seven words that capture the purpose of the email.
Body: three sentences, where the last sentence can be a question; the only question.
Check spelling.
Be persistent. Avoiding emotion, keep emails to the business at hand. Use the Writing Email rules in follow up emails.
Sometimes email won't work: make a phone call instead.
Compare the sent emails with the Writing Email rules.
Reply to important emails after reading. If information is missing for the reply, say what is missing and when it will be sent. Then get the information to them by that date.
Mark emails requiring a reply as "Unread". Reply when the information or time is available.