5 elements of effective email communication

Is email communication a difficult task for you? Do you keep revisiting the typed content and getting approvals? Do you want to cut the clutter and keep it simple yet effective?

Here are a few recommendations to help your mail communication be crisp and compelling.

1. Think of the bigger picture
2. Component your mail into small parts
3. Add necessary information
4. Include pleasantries and better language
5. Finish it with a Call for action

Think of the bigger picture

Every mail communication has an objective. It could be informing, educating, marketing, co-ordinating, and many more. First, fix your purpose for the particular mail and start weaving the mail around your objective. For instance, if your purpose is to educate your customers about your new product launch, you will have to get their attention first, make them learn more about the new product, and eventually enroll in your promotional effort. So get it started by appreciating their loyalty so far and keep moving ahead with things.

Breaking it into small parts

You may need to give more information in the mail and there are chances people might miss important things when they spend too much time reading. So, break your mail into small parts. Each part focuses on the important point and concludes it.

Having all the information in a single para not only distracts the readers but makes it difficult to remember.

Add necessary information

People need the information to act upon your emails. Have a checklist of all the information you have to provide and add them all in order. After the composition of your emails, check if you have given everything that the other person needs to take a decision.

Say, you are announcing an office meeting. You may need to inform the context, time, date, venue, people responsible, and if they have to be prepared on something in your mail. When you do the preparation before sending such important emails, you can avoid multiple loop emails and save everyones' time.

Make it sound nicer

The best part about writing emails is that you have the luxury of using google, Grammarly, and other tools to enhance your writing. An email with appropriate words and a concise message builds a good impression. Use the tools effectively, and find words that could convey the meaning in a simpler way.

For example - Instead of typing "I am sorry that I sent the document by mistake to you. Ignore the mail", you could write "Document was sent erroneously to you, kindly ignore". Sometimes the better choice of words brings more clarity.

Call for Action

What do you want your readers to do after reading your mail? Do you want them to subscribe to the newsletter or do you want them to respond to the meeting announcement? or do you want them to respond to your query?

Whatever is your objective, it should reflect at the end of every mail. If you have sent an invoice to your client and left it there you may not know when your payment would be through. Only when you mention "kindly acknowledge the invoice and inform us of possible date of the first installment", your reader is pushed to do something about your emails.

Mention your call for action clearly at the end of the emails to get the desired response.

"Concise, clear, and well-constructed emails" elevates your professional communication and help you win over people.