There
are lots of reasons emails are not read. Don’t give your intended readers an
excuse not to pay attention to what you want to tell them. If you want your emails
to be first opened and then read, follow these three tips from communication skills training experts who describe how you can improve the odds.
- Plan the arrival time. Send emails when you expect your readers will be at their desks…like in the morning or early afternoon. Some say Tuesdays are best. Certainly avoid sending on Fridays just before the weekend.
- Make good use of the subject line. The subject line should be descriptive of the email contents but can also include a personal touch or a sense of urgency. If the email is time-sensitive, be sure that fact is noted in the subject title. And if you are writing on behalf of a common acquaintance, use the name above, right next to the email topic.
- Use formatting to highlight important points.Simplify your salient points in bullets or highlight action items in bold. Make it easy for your readers to act and respond positively.
