This Is the Single Biggest Mistake in Written Communication

So much of our time every day is spent on written communication. In many companies, internal email is being replaced right before our eyes by messaging platforms like Slack, but the draw on our productivity is still strong.

As Windigo Bay Group CEO Keith Bates put it, "It's like saying you're drinking less gin when it turns out you're now drinking more vodka."

Having worked with dozens of organizations over the years, there's one bad practice in written communication that stands out above the rest--and it's a difficult habit to break:

People write too much.

Over and over, I see emails and messages with loads of unnecessary details, or that become accusatory in nature, or that take jabs at the recipient and others. (I bet you're seeing the same thing.)

At other times, we're the accused. Our natural response is to defend ourselves. 

To illustrate:

You've landed a star client, and you've gotten steady work from them for a while. They love you and you love them. But suddenly you receive an email that looks like this:

Dear Justin,

I heard that you're thinking about changing [details about a very important arrangement... ] I thought we agreed that we would [details about the previous meeting or conversation...]. Can we please stick to that?

Things will get way too complicated if we change this now. I feel like it's better when we move ahead according to our original plan.

Sound familiar?

So, there are two ways to respond to this message.

Option 1:

Hi, ___ thanks for your email.

First of all, I was never even aware the plan had been finalized. [Next comes a lengthy defense, followed by a sum-up of the current circumstances, in an attempt to put the client's mind at ease.]

Option 2:

Hi, ___ thanks for your email.

I'm afraid there's a misunderstanding. [Followed by a quick sum-up of the current circumstances, putting the client's mind at ease.]

Can we hop on a 5 minute call this afternoon? I'm sure I can clear up any questions you might have.

Did you notice the difference?

Both responses are polite, and both contain a quick summary of the way things currently stand, in reality.

But the first response includes too much information.

In most cases, the client could care less if you're right or wrong. Business is business, and things change constantly. We all make mistakes. Writing a lengthy defense is a waste of your time and the client's. All they care about is that things are right in the end.

Additionally, in many cases like this one (a misunderstanding), responding with a phone call is much more productive.

Are you in the habit of responding to messages off-the-cuff?

Careful. Emails have this funny tendency of getting read by persons who were not the originally intended recipients. In some cases, that means thousands of people.

As The Daily Beast contributor Olivia Nuzzi put it perfectly:

Dance like no one is watching; email like it may one day be read aloud in a deposition.

How to Fix It

So, how do you break the vicious vice of verbosity?

If you need to write a sensitive message, follow five easy steps:

1. Save your message as a draft. If you use a platform like Slack, write the message in a note-taking app first.

2. Schedule a time to look at it again. If the message is urgent, as little as five minutes (or a cup of coffee) can make a huge difference.

3. Re-read your message. When you do, keep the following questions in mind:

• Am I writing too much? Will the recipient care about the details?
• Is there anything here that could be easily misinterpreted, or that sounds angry, emotional, or flippant?
• Would it be better to communicate this by phone?
• Is there anything unnecessary I can remove?

4. Adjust as needed.

5. Above all, remember: When in doubt, leave it out.

It's as easy as that. To be clear, I'm not discouraging politeness and common courtesy, or even business small talk. These all have their place.

But if you can eliminate all of the other stuff, I guarantee your emails and messages will be better than 90% of what's out there. You'll save time. You'll save others time. And you'll leave clients, colleagues, and everyone else with a better impression.

I'll stop here. I've probably said too much already.

What do you think: Are most of the emails and messages you read longer than they should be? Are email and messaging apps overused? Would love to hear from you in the comments.

Photo by Victor Hanacek

***

As an author and one of LinkedIn's Top Voices, I share my thoughts on management best practices and organizational culture weekly. If you're interested in reading my free monthly newsletter, click here or contact me via email using jbariso[at]insight-global.de. (Or feel free to follow me here on LinkedIn or on Twitter @JustinJBariso.) 

I also write for Inc. and TIME. Some other articles you might enjoy:

• These 3 Questions Will Instantly Improve the Way You Communicate
• The 10 Best TED Talks of 2015
• Whatever You Do, Please Stop Calling People "Toxic"
• What I've Learned From 20 Jobs in 20 Years