A recent study done by statista.com has shown that the average employee sends and receives 376 emails per day! That is a lot of emails to look over and make sure you are addressing everyone’s needs and expectations properly. With all of this going on in our inboxes we get rushed (me included) into answering messages and sometimes this can cause some misunderstanding or miscommunication between clients and co-workers.  

To help ensure this doesn’t happen, here are some tips and tricks that will help your communication be effective and professional.  

• Make sure your subject line is clear and concise. A subject line should properly summarize the content of the email and make it easy for the recipient to understand the purpose of the message. It will also make it easier for the recipient to find the email down the line should they need to reference that message in the future.  
• Keep the email short and to the point: Avoid sending lengthy emails that are hard to read and understand. Stick to the main points and use bullet points or headings to organize the information.  
• Personalize your email: Address the recipient by name and use a conversational tone that is appropriate for the relationship between the sender and recipient. If you see that the person’s name is Joshua for example, make sure it is okay to call them Josh in a message before sending it.  
• Grammer and Spelling. Emails should be free of spelling errors and grammatical mistakes to ensure that the message is clear and professional.  
• Provide a clear call to action: Make sure that your message clearly states the expectations you need such as when a project is due or what you need for them to send to you.  
• Use a professional email signature: The email signature should include the sender’s name, job title, company name, and contact information.  
• Respect the recipient’s time: Avoid sending unnecessary emails that can clutter up their inbox.  

When you get that next email in your inbox try implementing these steps to ensure that your messages are effective and professional. With clear communication hopefully, your daily inbox number will shrink so that you can focus on other tasks.   

To learn more about communication best practices watch our courses from Tammy Wellbrock and Bonnie Hagemann.  

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