Blog: International Business Skills (Business & Intercultural Skills)

Do people read your emails and respond?
Do people read your emails and act on them or do something?
Do people think your emails are professional and effective?

Here are some quick points to help you write effective emails.

1. Subject Lines are Headlines (1 to 5 words)
2. Make One Key Point per Email (focus on one email objective)
3. Specify the Response You Want (email objective: do you want information, do you want to persuade, etc)
4. Use End of Message Headlines (repeat at end of email)
5. Internal Emails shouldn’t be too Informal (they can be easily forwarded)
6. Short Sentences (less than 15 words) and Short Paragraphs (5 lines maximum)
7. CSC – Check that sentences are CSC (clear, simple and concise)
8. Culture – Direct or Indirect Communication (Some cultures favour direct communication and speed while other cultures perceive that to be rude and prefer a more indirect style)
9. Culture – Task Orientated or Relationship Orientated (Some cultures focus on building relationships between people first before they can work effectively together – Relationship Orientated. While other cultures put more emphasis on the task than the relationship – Task Orientated)

Read our blog post about How to write effective emails when working with German Speakers

See our Communication Skills courses.  Read more about The Practice Office Group.