Effective Email: Concise, Clear Writing to Advance Your Business Needs (2014 Edition)

In today’s fast-paced, competitive business environment, we all need to communicate clearly and use our time productively. Even seasoned writers will find tips, tools, and ideas in this book that can improve the quality — and reduce the quantity — of email in the workplace.

How to use this book

How can you improve your business email? Here are seven techniques you’ll learn from the book:

• Before you start writing, ask yourself, “What business need will this email accomplish?”
• When you have the answer, state it clearly and concisely, right at the beginning of your message.
• Make sure you tell readers what they need to know to make a decision or take action.
• If you need to include supporting information, use easy-to-scan bullet points or short paragraphs.
• Craft a subject line that tells the reader exactly what the message is about and allows the reader to file or find the message easily.
• Check the tone: reread the message to make sure you’re not likely to sound too abrupt.
• Use active, clear, concise language.

About the Author

Natasha Terk is a recognized expert on business communication in the workplace and the author of seven books in the Write It Well Series on Business Communication. She leads the firm’s business operations and strategy in the US and Asia. Her focus on creating job-relevant communication tools, customization, efficiency, and customer service has grown Write It Well by 300 percent.

Natasha has worked as an Organization Development Consultant and Trainer for 15 years leading onsite and online training, team building, leadership development, strategic planning, and train-the-trainer processes with Fortune 500 companies, small and mid-sized businesses, and with organizations in the nonprofit and public sectors.

Natasha has served as program officer at the Packard Foundation, worked as a management consultant with La Piana Consulting, and taught Business Writing at the University of California, Berkeley. Natasha holds a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College; master’s degrees from the University of San Francisco and the University of Manchester, UK; and certifications in facilitation and program evaluation.