Summarize Long Emails at the Top to Communicate More Effectively

Here’s a productivity tip that managers and employees could include in their day-to-day email, courtesy of comedian and writer Francesca Ramsey since her time at Upworthy : Summarize long emails at the top so your recipients know what they’re for .

“[We are] always begins with a long e-mails with a small summary of the top, so you know whether you need to read the whole letter,” – wrote it in Twitter, dedicated mail etiquette. For example, “TL; DR (Haven’t read for too long): People get lazy about spending, use ‘XYZ’ followed by the full email address below. “

It’s a communications technique used by the military known as BLUF (Net Profit In Front), writes US Navy veteran Kabir Segal for Harvard Business Review :

Military professionals send their emails with a short, abrupt statement known as BLUF. (Yes, as a military man, everything has an abbreviation). It declares the purpose of the email and the required actions. BLUF must quickly answer five Ws: who, what, where, when, and why. Effective BLUF extracts the most important information for the reader.

As Segal writes, the summary at the top helps people decide if they need to read all of their email without wasting time (while still getting the most relevant information). Since he is no longer a military man, he starts his emails with “Bottom Line” rather than “BLUF”. You can also use Ramsey TLDR.

For example, an email might start with “TL; DR: We will have Summer Fridays on June 8th and 22nd starting at 13:00. ” You can then explain the rationale for the policy and other rules or restrictions.

Other helpful military tips: Maximize the topic by telling the recipient what type of action is required on their part (for example, “Action” or “Decision”) and let them know when you need an answer. This way, everyone will be on the same page, and there will be no technical ambiguities left.

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