No, no, no — not this email, of course. I’m talking about the rambling ones you get from coworkers, clients, your boss, your neighbor, your cranky uncle.
The folks at messaging app Slack surveyed 8,000 small biz workers to pick their brains. Turns out, our old ways of sending emails are chock full of painful time wasters no one likes sending or reading.
Clearly, Slack has a vested interest in people using … well, Slack. But these numbers reveal a lot. Let’s crack our knuckles, check some stats and get rid of yawn-worthy emails.
Too long, won’t read
Eight sentences or more and 57% of people skim or just ignore parts. Ahem, yeah, I do that. Instead, try this:
- Put all the most important info in the first line.
- Write in bullet points to save time. (See, it works!)
- If you need to write more than a few sentences, move to a phone call, text or chat instead.
Wait, you didn’t answer me!
Over 60% say it’s common they didn’t get an answer to a question they included in an email. About half say they get asked questions they already answered or are called by the wrong name. Ouch.
- Pull names directly from the email contact, or save space and don’t use a name. It’s 2023, they know who they are.
- Maintain an open chat with those you work with often for quick questions and answers. So much faster than email for quick follow-ups.
The problem is … I didn’t read it
This surprised me: 45% say they’ve missed a meeting or deadline buried in an email. That’s embarrassing. Here’s how to fix it:
- Rely on your email app. Most automatically highlight and prompt you to save important information.
- Setting up a meeting? Send an invite through your email’s scheduling system.
- Avoid “reply all” whenever possible. No one likes it.
About 57% say emails take too much menial work
Junk emails, catching up on overflowing inboxes, sorting email chains … yawn. Save time by:
- Adding filters that scan for specific spam keywords or company names and throw those emails in the trash.
- My email thrives with multiple folders and some built-in automation for specific responses. It takes time to set up but is well worth the work.
- Move announcements and updates to a group chat.
She is SO rude
Nearly half of millennials say it’s easy to get an email’s tone wrong. And even more Gen Z workers (57%) say they misinterpret email tones! Instead of blaming TikTok:
- Always re-read an email for a quick sarcasm check or any general misunderstandings before sending. Read it aloud if you’re worried it’s too Chandler Bing-y.
- Paste important emails into ChatGPT and ask it to rewrite them as more upbeat, with explicit points or just from a different perspective.
✅ Even a few of these habits will do a world of good. Welcome to the modern world of communication.