Emails are a part of our work lives, and many of us would have returned to a full inbox after our summer holiday. Did you read all of those emails? How many of those emails were written clearly so that you knew what you needed to do with the information?

A work email is to convey information and often requires some form of response. To engage a reader and get a response to the email, a writer should not waffle or tell a long story. A writer often gives too much background information so their key message is lost. Another element is the language that the writer uses, which linguists refer to as tone.

Two important aspects of emails are thus clarity of key information and tone, which means knowing how to write for your reader.

Firstly, if action needs to be taken, a writer should convey that in the subject line. A clear action statement in the subject line can make a reader take notice, rather than generic wording such as ‘response required’. If there is a due date or time, state that in the subject line. Also, use key words as the subject, but do not make it too long. Many readers would skim the subject line and make a series of quick decisions.

Secondly, write work emails in appropriate business or customer focused language, that is, using a respectful tone. A work email is not like a sms text message or chat program, and an email can represent a legal agreement in some cases. Respect your work colleagues and business partners and write clearly using considerate language.

In our email-life a reader makes many decisions about what to read and how much to read. So as email writers, it is surely our responsibility to write succinctly with appropriate language to make the email-work-life balance less stressful and more efficient.

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