7 simple hacks for writing kickass emails/ messages

Whether you are just starting a career, a mid-level manager, a senior executive, a salesperson, the CEO, or a start-up founder, there is one skill that is absolutely important for you. Writing emails and other messages that get things done.

If your emails/ messages don’t get things done, you will end up spending a lot of your time on calls or meetings or chasing people in any other form.

Today, I am sharing with you 7 simple hacks for writing kickass emails (or any other instant messages for that matter) that get things done, without being arrogant.

1) Master the subject line

The subject is the most important part. It decides whether your reader will open your email or let it languish in the inbox.

Usually, we write emails for these purposes

? Seeking information/ action/ approval

? Providing information

? Launching actions

Use the following ?? Subject Line Templates ?? for your emails, and see the success rate of your email shoot-up.

While seeking information/ action/ approval

? Seeking information >>

? Subject Line: Request an update on the purchase of the new coffee machine

? Seeking action >>

? Subject Line: Request you to release the purchase order for the new coffee machine

? Seeking approval >>

? Subject Line: Request to approve the purchase of a new coffee machine

? Seeking intervention

? Subject Line: Request your intervention to speed up the purchase of a new coffee machine

? Seeking attention

? Subject Line: Request your attention to the delay in the purchase of the new coffee machine

? Seeking help/ support

? Subject Line: Request your help to make the purchase order for a new coffee machine

? Seeking access >>

? Subject Line: Request to allow access to the coffee machine

? Seeking data >>

? Subject Line: Request to share data for coffee machine use

Providing Information

? Providing information

? Subject Line: An update on the purchase of the coffee machine project

Launching an Action

? Launching actions

? Subject Line: We are launching the project for the purchase of a new coffee machine

If it’s an urgent matter, use these templates

?? Is it an urgent or important matter? Do this

? When it’s urgent, add “Urgent || ” before the subject

? When it’s important, add “Imp || ” before the subject

? When it’s both, add “Urgent & Imp || ” before the subject

ProTip: Most powerful emails need only the subject line <eom>

If you have to convey a short and effective message, put it in the subject line and put <eom> at the end.

<eom> = end of the message, tells the reader that no need to open the email because it ends with the subject line. Example, below.

? Request you to please allow chess in the office, it will be fun <eom>.

2) Clearly articulate what you want in the email

Many times we don’t get the desired response/ action from the receiver because we fail to clearly articulate what we need from them in the first place. Instead of clearly laying out our expectations, we write in an ambiguous and confusing way. Happens a lot to me ??

?? So how do we write our ask clearly in the email?

• In a short sentence of 6 to 10 words, mention what you need
• Then mention the rationale behind your ask (you can do this even before mentioning your ask)
• Give Options -- If yes, what action she/he should take. If not, what action she/he should take
• In the options, keep the preferred option as the last one

An example

Hey Thor,

Many of our colleagues have been telling that they are finding it challenging to get coffee from the coffee machine. I strongly feel that there is a need for a new coffee machine.

If you disagree, please share your thoughts, so that we can discuss it further and bring this to a logical conclusion. (this is option 1)

If you agree, but there are challenges. Please share those, so that we can overcome them together. (this is option 2)

If you agree, I request you to please order a new coffee machine at the earliest, so that we all can enjoy freshly brewed coffee :)?(this is option 3, ?? the preferred one)

Thanks for your unwavering support.

3) Always request (don’t command or give orders to) others in your message

Our emails (any message for that matter) provoke emotions deep down in the human mind. While some people are able to ignore these emotions, many of us react to these emotions. These emotions can be positive, negative, or neutral.

?? Positive emotion leads to a positive response and action.

?? Negative emotion leads to a negative response and negative action.

? A neutral response leads to no response and no action.

?? Your objective should be to stoke a positive emotion through your email, no matter how bad the situation seems to you.

When you write an email in a way that makes it sound commanding or ordering, it stokes negative emotion in the reader’s mind. This results in a negative action or delayed action, especially if the person is not your direct report, or you are not in a position of significance.

I have listed below a few examples of statements that sound like ordering/ commanding. And how you can transform them as requests that guarantee response or action, but with positivity.

? Hi Jack, share the invoice for the coffee machine. OR

? Hi Jack, can you share the invoice for the coffee machine?

?? Hi Jack, Request you to please share the coffee machine invoice at the earliest”.

? Hi Steve, process payment for the coffee machine invoice, it’s urgent.

?? Hi Steve, request you to please urgently process payment for the coffee machine invoice.

4) Master the art of friendly escalation

Sometimes, escalation becomes unavoidable. Usually, when you escalate, it is out of frustration that things are not moving at the pace that you want, or the other person is ignoring your requests. And hence, by nature you become negative, and this negativity reflects in your message.

The key while escalating is to maintain positivity. And, the key to maintaining positivity is to assume that the other person is also doing her/his best and working as hard as you. And there must be some genuine challenge for his inaction. And you should write our escalation message with this assumption.

Some examples for writing escalation emails.

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1) When you are escalating the matter with the same subject person, whom you have written earlier.

?? Subject: Reminder :) Urgent request to repair the coffee machine

Hey Thor,

It’s understandable that given your super busy schedule, you might have missed my previous email, requesting you to urgently repair the coffee machine :)

Hence, I am sending this reminder email, to bring it to your attention once again.

And then you should mention the reason why this thing is so urgent/ important — example — You know how important the coffee machine is to the effective working of our team, and without strong coffee, our team is unable to give theirs most during the early part of the day.

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2) When you are escalating the matter to the boss of the subject person. You tried writing 2 to 3 reminder emails to Thor but you have still not received the desired response/ action. You have run out of your patience, and now you want to escalate the matter to Thor’s boss Odin. Here is how you should write the email/ message.

?? Subject: Escalated matter :) Request to urgently repair the coffee machine

Hi Odin,

Hope you are doing great as ever. I am writing to escalate this matter to you — the thing is, our coffee machine has broken down a few days ago, and we need to urgently repair the same. As per my understanding, Thor from your team is the right person to do this.

I brought the matter to his attention two times, but given his busy schedule, he has not been able to conduct the repair even after two weeks.

Hence, I am requesting you to kindly intervene here and sensitize Thor in this matter or please deploy someone else, if Thor is out of bandwidth in the near future.

Thanks for your continued support as ever.

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5) Always keep a positive tone with these simple tips

1) Minimize the use of ‘I and You’

? Minimize the use of I and You

?? Maximize the use of WE (applicable to all forms of I, YOU, WE)

2) Replace the words like 'issue' or 'problem', with 'challenge' or 'opportunity'

Some examples...

? There is a problem with the coffee machine?

?? There is a challenge with the coffee machine

? There are a lot of issues with the behavior of Mr. Loki?

?? There are many opportunities for Mr. Loki to improve his behavior.

? You created this problem, so you should solve it?

?? We are in this challenging situation, let’s collaborate to come out of it as winners.

3) Avoid words like; mistake, unfortunately, can’t, won’t.

Some examples

? It was your mistake that you failed?

?? I understand that you tried your best, I am sure you will get it right the next time. Let me know if I can help in some way.

? Unfortunately, I will be unable to attend the meeting

?? I will have to skip the meeting because of another prior commitment, Let's sync up later on.

? I can’t work on this report today, because I am on leave

?? Let’s work on this report tomorrow, once I am back from leave.

? I won’t prepare this report, because I don’t know how to prepare

?? I will need your guidance in preparing this report because it’s challenging for me.

6) Avoid passive voice like a plague; Use short sentences

Somehow, during our education years, we condition ourselves to write in passive voice. The more educated you are the more is your tendency to use passive voice. But, most of the people around us, have not been so fortunate to get the best out of their education.

Hence, writing in passive voice leads to confusion and ambiguity, most of the time. More importantly, it makes you sound lacking in confidence. Hence, you must avoid using passive voice in your messages/ emails.

?? So how to write? Here is how you do it.

1) Always prefer an active voice.

2) Keep the sentences short. 6 to 10 words, not longer than that.

3) Use this format: Action >>> Outcome. We will take these actions, to achieve these results.

4) Use simple tenses: Simple past tense, Simple present tense, Simple continuous tense, Simple future tense.

?? Some examples:

We did X, so Y happed:

? We installed a new coffee machine, so we started getting great-tasting coffee every day.

We are doing X, so Y will happen:

? We are installing a new coffee machine, so we will get great-tasting coffee every day.

We will X, so Y will happen:

? We will install a new coffee machine, so we will get great-tasting coffee every day.

?? Follow these thumb rules.

After you complete writing your email/ message. Do the following

1) Is there any passive voice? Change it to active voice

2) Are your sentences longer than 10 words? Cut down unnecessary words, and shorten your sentences ruthlessly

7) Add one adverb before a noun; and some more

3 additional hacks are wrapped in one post below:

1) Keep the sentences as short as possible. Keep the number of words per sentence from 6 to 10. If the length increases more than this, put a comma “,” in-between to separate out the key points in the sentence

2) When you want to mention multiple items in a single sentence, don’t separate them using commas. Instead, put bracketed numbers. For example,

---

Hey Thor,

Yesterday during the coffee break we discussed a few things including (1) the color of the coffee; (2) the amount of sugar in the coffee; (3) the smell of the coffee; and (4) the flavor of the coffee. It was a fun conversation.

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3) Add one adverb before a noun to make it special

Examples

• indefatigable efforts
• unwavering support