EarniculumMost workplace writing fails for one of three reasons: the reader could not find the point, could not tell what was wanted from them, or could not tell how urgent it was.
Put the ask first
People read the first line and decide whether to keep going. If your request is in paragraph four, it may as well not exist.
Weak: Hi, hope you are well. Following up on the conversation last week about the reporting changes, I have been looking at the options and there are a few considerations…
Strong: Can you approve the new report format by Thursday? Details below, and the short version is that it saves the team about two hours a week.
The second version tells the reader in one line what is wanted, by when, and why it is worth their attention.
The shape that works
- The ask, or the headline. One sentence.
- Why it matters. One or two sentences.
- The detail. As long as it needs to be, structured so it can be skimmed.
- What happens next, and who does it.
Make urgency explicit
"When you get a chance" and "urgent" mean different things to different people. Say the date. By Thursday removes an entire round of clarification.
Length
Every extra paragraph reduces the chance the whole thing is read. If it is genuinely long, put a two-line summary at the top and say it is a summary.
Subject lines
A subject line should say what the message is about, not what category it belongs to.
- Weak: Quick question
- Weak: Update
- Strong: Approval needed by Thu: new report format
Choosing the channel
- Chat for something needing an answer in minutes, and for anything trivial.
- Email for anything that needs a record, involves people outside your team, or is longer than a paragraph.
- A document for anything that others will need to refer back to.
- A meeting only when the thing genuinely needs discussion, not when it needs a decision from one person.