I received an email this morning from Phil Pallen (www.PhilPallen.co) that I just had to share. Here goes:
We all have an opinion, and we all want to be heard. When you work remotely, like I do, a lot of the relationships built with clients are via email. Writing effectively is so important, which is why I’m going to share a little secret with you:
Draft your email, and then chop it in half.
I do this all the time. And it includes using a word counter. If you want to control the information people process, don’t expect them to read every word. They won’t. Whoever is receiving the email is going to be on their phone, on the go, watching TV, etc. Their attention will be focused on everything except you.
To show you how seriously I take this advice, I’m going to include the shortened version of what you just read below. Same thing, very different result.
Tell me, which do you like better?
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We all want to be heard. If you work remotely, most of your correspondence is via email. So:
Draft your email. Then chop in half.
Use a word counter and control the info people process. People are eternally distracted, and you won’t always have their attention. Get it through less.