Email can be one of the most productive tools you use or one of the biggest time sucks.
The five-sentence email structure is one of the biggest tricks that I’ve implemented in my email communications that’s not only made me more productive, but it’s also made the people who receive my email more productive.
And the cool thing?
When people start seeing what you’re doing in your email on your team or in your group, they’ll copy it. And that in turn makes you more productive and then makes everyone more productive. And before you know it, email is actually a productive tool. So here’s how to do it. On your first line, write what action, if any, is required. We all know we get these emails that say, check this out. It’s like, what do you mean, check this out? I have no idea what that means. What do you want me to check out? What’s the takeaway? Or you get an email and you’re reading 400 words and you still don’t know why you’re reading it and what you need to do.
So the first line, I will put something like, action required. I need an answer or for your situation awareness only. This gives a reader the idea of exactly what they will be reading.
The second sentence in your email is a bottom line up front. I need an answer to this. See the following information for context or check out this link because there’s an idea that we were talking about earlier this week that I think would be relevant. Give your reader information on what they are doing with the email that you sent them. And then follow up with three sentences that describe whatever that is.
And another cool trick, this is a bonus, if you put a little note in your signature when you start doing this, because as soon as you start doing this, people are going to think you’re being short or they’ll think you’re being rude or Maybe you’re communicating with external people in your company or outside your company, whatever that is, it can be seen as something changed.
So in your signature, you just put something at the bottom that says, I reply in five sentence emails. I’m not being rude. I’m trying to help you be more productive with your inbox. And all of a sudden, you’re going to get this super positive reaction from people. And then your teammates, again, like I mentioned earlier, are going to copy that, and then everybody, it’s this flywheel that gets started, everybody’s more productive before you know it.
Again, in review, first sentence, what action, if any, is required, second sentence, bottom line, up front, three sentences of explanation, and you’re done.
Try that out, and you are going to have a more productive email experience.
Your move.
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