Why waste a sentence saying nothing by Marc LeVine

"How to write a good email:

1. Write your email

2. Delete most of it

3. Send"

Dan Munz

Oh God!?We have all received long-winded emails. ?They seem to arrive when we are the busiest and read like a Shakespearean novel. ?We are forced to keep scrolling down – endlessly – just to get to the point and call to action. Who has such time? ?Most emails and other business correspondence could be so much shorter and still accomplish the very same goals.

Effective business communication is as much a skill as anything else. ?When written concisely, an email can be a powerful communication tool. ?However, the main stumbling block is most often the message’s length. Some emails are far too long. ?Many people resist reading them.?They often get skimmed over and important points are missed. ?It’s the writer’s fault as much as the readers.

For many, the difficulty in drafting effective emails stems from our grade school education. There we were taught to write flowery prose that tells an emotional story and becomes a finely detailed and magnificent “work of art.” ?It wasn’t until college that most of us were first exposed to functional business writing, which takes into account the reader’s time; calling for an economy of words and bulleted points that roughly “sketch” or simply “outline” the situation and immediately conclude with a call for action.

Here are some pointers on writing concise and effective business correspondence.”

1. Avoid rambling. Don’t write anything you are going to send out until you know EXACTLY what you are going to say and as briefly as possible.
2. Know the subject matter well before you compose a communication.?Emails and memos tend to be longer when we try to explain things, we ourselves don’t understand well enough. That’s rambling, too!
3. You don’t need to include your long company signature every time you respond to a brief question with a very short answer. ?Just end with your name.
4. No one is grading you for writing composition.?By all means, use spellcheck and good grammar, but you are not entertaining colleagues – you are only informing them. ?And edit your emails for length before sending them. Try eliminating unnecessary words, phrases, and details. Be concise.
5. Write to someone only when you must or they will consider your communications SPAM. ?Often a quick text, phone call or in-person meeting will do, better.?But don’t go overboard with those modes of communication, either.
6. Cut off the email stream, immediately.?Don’t be lazy. If the next reader doesn’t need to review the entire stream, don’t forward the entire mess to them.?

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Business writing, which includes drafting emails is not something to be taken for granted.?Just like other work-related responsibilities we must be sure we accomplish what we set out to do without creating difficulties and hardships for ourselves and others.?Take the time to think things through before you put finger to keyboard.

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The Author

Listen to Marc's latest interview on “Failing for You” with Jordan Yates

Marc LeVine is a graduate of Syracuse (NY) University with a degree in Industrial Psychology, Marc is currently Talent Acquisitions and Learning and Development Lead at Thermo Systems. He is the recipient of the Excellence in Talent Acquisitions Award from HR Awards in 2021.

His prior employment includes senior Human Resources and Staffing Industry management roles with Edgewood Properties in Piscataway, NJ, Brickforce Staffing in Edison, NJ, InfoPro Inc. in Woodbridge NJ and Plainsboro, NJ and Harvard Industries in Farmingdale, NJ, a former Fortune 500 company. He also served as Director of Human Resources for New Jersey Press, the parent company of the Asbury Park Press, Home News and Tribune and WKXW-NJ101.5. Earlier in his career, Marc served as Director of Career Services and Placement at Union Technical Institute in Eatontown and Neptune, NJ. In addition, Marc owned and operated Integrity Consulting Associates, a New Jersey based Human Resources and Social Media Marketing firm for 11 years. Marc also served as Council President in his hometown of Freehold Borough, NJ