How many e-mails have you already sent today? Ten or fifty? Handling your email inbox can easily become a very time-consuming activity. In this blog article you will learn three tips on how to convey even complex issues concisely but clearly in your emails.
Despite new communication trends such as Microsoft Teams or Slack, email is still the most important and most frequently used way of communication in business. But especially when you return from vacation, your inbox may be flooded by thousands of emails. In this article we will explain three simple methods for answering emails without wasting time. The key is to reduce the content to the essentials, but still providing the recipient with all the relevant information.
The LOGIC method has proven to be a useful communication technique for writing concise emails. Each letter represents a step in the process, helping you to sort your thoughts and the content of your email based on a few questions.
L = Limitation
O = Order of the next steps
G = Goal
I = Instruments in use
C= Consequence
The LOGIC method already provides a suitable guide for your emails. Techniques from journalism provide another example. News texts have the task of describing complex issues in a maximum of 3 to 4 paragraphs. The core statement of the content is always mentioned in the first sentence. The following sentence clarifies the statement and extends it with additional information. Thus, the meaning of the information decreases from sentence to sentence. If you structure your email in this way, the main statement of your message remains the same even if the recipient only reads the first sentence. If you have difficulties formulating the core message of your email in one sentence, another technique from journalism can help. Think about how you would convey the content of a newspaper article you just read or, in this case, the core message of your email in one sentence to a person in the next room.
Interlaced subclauses make it difficult for the recipient to read and understand your emails. The following design options help you to get to the point faster:
In many situations, an email is not a good substitute for a phone call or direct conversation, especially when dealing with more complex matters. You should therefore always follow this general rule:
"As long as necessary, as short as possible.
"
If you need more than three to five sentences for the content of your message, avoid writing an email and pick up the phone!
InLoox makes the link between e-mail and project management even easier. With just a few clicks the Outlook integration of the project management software InLoox allows you to:
Picture: InLoox for Outlook: Creating an InLoox task from an email
To make your project-related email communication even faster and easier, download our free email templates for project proposals, project approval, project status or project completion.