5 Tips to Create Better Emails
We have all been there. You navigate the never-ending “gas is on the right!!” bumper to bumper traffic at 7:00am in the morning. You pour a cup of the bitter-tasting office coffee while adding creamer and sugar to make it a bit more bearable. You organize your desk, turn on your computer, open your email, sift through all the ‘delete’ and ‘archive’ nonsense. You eventually start navigating the virtual to-do’s that an email inbox magically manages for us. You dutifully check in on all the requests that are needed from you that day and BOOM.
The snarky, under-your-skin, “it’s not personal, it’s business”, poorly written email comes in that ruins your entire attitude that day. Whether it is the tone relayed in the email, the abrupt shortness of the ask, the lack of professionalism or the outright blindsiding email - we have all been there.
The good news? There’s a satisfaction in being able to combat that poor email with a professional and appropriate response. As a communications self-proclaimed “guru” it’s one of the many satisfactions of my job. There is triumph in communicating in a way that signals you are above the scrutiny of negative emails and can respond in a way that puts you in the lead.
Below is a breakdown of email scenarios you might run into on a daily basis accompanied by responses that will help you communicate professionalism while calling out the passive aggressive transgression.
#1
The recipient will not get back to you
“I know you are extremely busy so thank you for your time in advance…”
Odds are - when they see another email from you, they ignore. No matter how many times you email them, if it is not a priority for them - they will mentally file it away. It is important to recognize and communicate that you are grateful they are taking time out of THEIR day to help YOU. Give a little - get a little.
#2
There is a shortness in the tone of the original ask or response
“I appreciate you looking into this for me…”
We all know how it feels to go above and beyond for someone, only to receive a half-thought out response. Communicate your appreciation for their time as we all know there is not enough time in the day. A little appreciation goes a long way.
#3
The client or prospect is dark
“I haven’t heard back on this request… is this still a priority for you?”
Sometimes emails need to be frank and to the point. You might not like the answer you receive, but at the end of the day, you will know where to refocus your time and energy if it is no longer a priority for the other party involved.
#4
For when a client is demanding and condescending at the same time…
“Thanks for bringing this to my attention, we all make mistakes sometimes! As you can imagine, XYZ has been problematic so I overlooked XYZ. I apologize for that!”
Sometimes calling attention to your own humanity helps soften the blow. Humility goes a long way…
#5
And my favorite email tactic… strip-lining!
This is for all those scenarios when the response completely blindsides you. You know the ones where you have been working with this client for MONTHS and all the sudden they are unhappy with the service or want to go in a different direction? Yup. The blood-boiling-how-dare-you response.
“It seems XYZ … I apologize if my observation is off based. Please let me know what the best way to move forward would be. I am happy to assist with any information needed.”
This response gives you the floor to speak about what has happened from your perspective and hands it back to the recipient to either confirm or clarify. Use it sparingly but it works like a charm.
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again - Civil Communication is the act of communicating productively. And sometimes, productive communication can be lost via email. No longer! Use these responses whenever you are hung up on how to respond to someone. Feel confident in a creative follow up, the impact of appreciation, humility, and strip-lining as productive email communication practices.
