Keep It Short: The Golden Rule of E-mail!

The most effective business writing is brief and concise. Get to the main point quickly and avoid informal language.

Did you know the average business manager receives over 250 e-mails a day? When the Creative Director of Presentation Tree was a Project Manager at Multiple Zones, Inc., he regularly spent over two hours a day reading (and answering) e-mail.

He appreciated those who followed the golden rule of e-mail: Keep It Short.

E-mail has replaced the business memos of yore. "Memorandum" is Latin for "short message."

The longer the message, the less chance it has of being read and understood.

If you have more than one major point to make, break them up.

Use spaces between paragaphs.

• Use bullets
• Use proper punctuation
• Send them as seperate e-mails

This at least makes it easier to read the message.

Avoid informal language, too. You never know where that e-mail will wind up!

If your e-mail is too long, and seems impossible to cut, perhaps you need a more expansive approach. Consider a telephone conversation, or a face-to-face meeting. In any case, remember this: KISS - "Keep It Short, Simon."

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