We’re all busy, but one way to make sure you get a response even from some of the busiest people you want to communicate with is to be topical, be concise, and to organise your message so it’s easy to respond to.
Photo by Ramanan V.
We’ve discussed ways to keep your email messages brief, but if you’re sending a note to someone who gets hundreds of messages a day, it’ll take more to make it stand out. Over at Passive Panda, James Clear has a few tips to help you make sure your message gets a response, but one of the best is to be brief and arrange your message in bullets or specific questions you’d like a response to. This way the recipient can easily digest your message and insert responses to your questions without having to wade through it. He even includes examples.
He also has a number of other tips, like remembering to be thankful and realistic about what you need, and of course, to not expect a response — nothing will ensure you never get a reply like a dozen follow-ups asking if your first note went through. How do you cut through your recipient’s inbox and get a reply? If you get a lot of mail, how do you pick the ones you respond to? Share your thoughts in the comments.
How To Email Important People [Passive Panda]
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