Writing emails and how they are perceived is tricky. The writer of the email doesn’t get to provide the intended tone to the email – the reader assigns it. We, as writers of emails, know that we can’t control how they are perceived – that is outside of our control. All we can control are our words and the message that we are sending. While a face-to-face message is almost always the preference (so you can intentionally send tone and nonverbals that align with our message), sometimes it’s just not feasible. How can we ensure that we are sending clear messages over email or chat? And how can we make sure we are sending it in a language that the other person will understand?
Sending Clear Communication Over Email
In Our Community Listens, we discuss the importance of making sure that our messages are clear. We don’t want to leave the receiver of the message wondering what we meant. With that in mind, here are some things to consider when writing an email.
Does the receiver need context to understand where your ask is coming from or why you are making the request?
- Are you including any loaded words or phrases that might be taken out of context?
- Are you willing to offer to meet in person or have a call if they have questions or are confused?
- If emailing multiple people, are you clearly identifying who questions are directed towards?
- Read over the email one time after you write it. Does anything seem confusing when you read it back?
- If appropriate, could someone else read over the email and give you feedback before you send it?
When so much of our communication with others is over email, it’s important to be very intentional about the words we are choosing. The University of North Carolina recognizes this, and assembled this “Effective Email Communication” handout that is publicly available to learn more about when and how to write a clear email. Once you have these basics covered, you might want to level up your email writing by considering how you could style flex to the person on the other end of the communication.
Style Flexing Over Email
Style flexing is defined by making a temporary adjustment of a few key behaviors at critical times. While we often talk about this during Our Community Listens in the context of a face-to-face interaction, we can very easily style flex when writing an email as well. There are a few pieces of information we want to consider when we begin to write this communication.
The first thing to consider is the tendency of the other person. If you already know their DISC tendency, great! If you don’t, consider what their tendencies might be using the chart below. Here are some tips on how to style flex in an email.
| DISC Type | Characteristics | Email Communication Tips |
|---|---|---|
| Dominance (D) | – Results-oriented – Direct – Decisive | – Be concise and to the point – Highlight benefits and outcomes – Use bullet points for clarity – Avoid small talk |
| Influence (I) | – People-oriented – Enthusiastic – Persuasive | – Be friendly and engaging – Use positive language – Include social proof or testimonials – Allow space for feedback or discussion |
| Steadiness (S) | – Cooperative – Sincere – Patient | – Build rapport and show appreciation – Provide clear, organized information – Emphasize stability and support – Give time to process information |
| Conscientiousness (C) | – Detail-oriented – Analytical – Systematic | – Provide thorough and accurate information – Focus on facts and data – Include charts or detailed explanations – Avoid emotional or overly casual language |
Often, we are writing emails to multiple people. Even here, when there might be a mix of tendencies, there is room to style flex. Below are some tips and tricks for writing an intentional email to a large group.
- Begin with an intro a brief introduction for the purpose of the email.
- Provide a bulleted high level overview of the key points – if the recipients read nothing else in the email, they will have enough of the critical information from these bullets.
- Instruct recipients to keep reading if they want more information in the body of the email. This is where you can include relevant links, documents, graphics, etc.
The next time you sit down to draft an email, remember that you are kicking off the start of the communication cycle. The intentionality and clarity you bring to the communication sets you up for success, and hopefully makes that cycle run a bit more smoothly. Give this podcast a listen for more style flexing strategies!