3 Shifts to Write more Effective Emails (and Avoid Misinterpretations)

Have you ever had emails you’ve written blow up in your face?

You spend all this time carefully organizing your thoughts and writing it rationally… Revisiting it to remove all of the emotional components…

To finally hit send and realize hours later that the receiver misinterpreted what you were trying to say…

And the situation just blew up!

Ouch!!!

Now your dealing with tensions and clearing up what you were actually trying to say (rather than dealing with the real issue at hand).

Written communication leaves a lot of room for interpretation as the non-verbals (80% of the message) are missing.

But email is an important communication medium in the workplace…

So what if you were more influential with your emails?

What if you could craft your email in a way so the receiver could receive it’s intended message…

And avoid dealing with misinterpretation and unpleasant reactions?

I often revise and give feedback to Leaders on email communication and there's 3 very important shifts that make a difference for them.

And I figured, as the pro-active Leader you are, you’d put these insights to good use in your emails.

So here they are!

From Formal to Colloquial

Everything we learned about formal business writing is empty and disconnecting relationally.

However, REAL influence lies in our relationships.

Colloquial language is a form a speaking or writing that uses an informal tone and words.

It’s easier to read and understand which increases their openness to receive it.

It’s less intimidating which reduces the likelihood of a stress reaction (fight or flight).

It’s more connecting which means you are nurturing your relationship (and your influence).

Here’s your choice…

If it’s more important to be fancy and formal for your professional image, then go ahead.

BUT if you want to be influential and effective, choose a language that’s similar to the way you would converse in real life.

For Example:

From “As per our previous conversation yesterday, you will find enclosed…”

To “Here are the XYZ documents we chatted about yesterday.”

From Assumptions to Questions

Our biases create shortcuts to foregone conclusions which may not be accurate.

And even if they are, the reader may not have arrived at that conclusion yet.

One sure fire way to trip the ego (and get an intense reaction) is to tell people rather than ask them.

So, peruse your text for unverified assumptions (what you don’t know for certain yet) and instead offer an invitation to explore a question together.

You are avoiding stepping into false conclusion and creating space to get further intel…

While allowing the receiver the freedom and power to be a participant in this conversation.

For example:

From “You need to start managing your time.”

To “I’m curious, what would help you meet project timeline more easily?”

From Unemotional to Meaningful

You might take out the emotional component from your writing however emotions will rise when the receiver starts reading your words.

Emotions are part of our human biology and will result in behavior.

So instead of worrying about being overly rational, give more meaning to your words by answering the “WHY” throughout the body of your email.

People add their interpretation to your message to deal with lack of meaning. So leave nothing to chance by conveying that meaning clearly and help them see how the dots are connected so they see the bigger picture.

For example:

From “This behavior is unacceptable and does not respect company policy. This needs to change.”

To “I’m concerned about timelines not being met because I’m noticing how it’s creating stress for the team as a whole. It’s important to me that we reduce this stress for you and for the team, so we can feel good at work.”

Try it out for yourself!

Don’t get caught up in trying to add fluff, just look at what you have and transform it following these 3 shifts.

If you notice your emails are too long and trying to cover too much ground, remember that it will be more effective to present your intentions and make an invitation for a real conversation to dive deeper.

Dialogue and collaboration just doesn’t flow as easily in writing.

Want feedback and specific recommendations on your written communication style, ask me how you can get an email audit by sending me a DM.