You probably send and receive tons of emails a day ...
some long-winded and muddled, some concise and clear.
In the military, a poorly formatted email can be
the difference between mission accomplished and mission failure.
And, it’s not that different in the corporate world.
Well-organized emails can elicit quicker and higher-quality responses from colleagues
and clients, and maximize your chances of success.
Here are three tips for structuring your emails with military precision:
First, write subject lines with keywords that clearly state the purpose of the email
and what you want the recipient to do with your note.
Since the first things your reader sees are your name and subject line,
the military uses keywords to broadcast the nature of the note, such as
“ACTION” ... if it’s required of the reader;
“SIGN” ... if a signature is needed;
“INFO” ... if the email is for informational purposes only requiring no response or action;
“DECISION” ... tells the reader a decision is needed;
“REQUEST” ... seeks permission or approval by the reader and so on.
So, the next time you email your direct reports a status update, try using the subject line:
“INFO – Status Update.”
Need your manager to approve your vacation request?
Try: “REQUEST – Vacation.”
These demarcations make your emails stand out in the recipient’s inbox and force you
to think about what you really want from someone before you contribute to their inbox clutter.
Lead your email with Bottom Line Up Front, or BLUF ...
... which declares the purpose of the email and action required.
The BLUF should answer the five W’s: who, what, where, when, and why ...
distilling the most important information.
This helps the reader quickly digest the announcement, decision, and procedures rather than being
bombarded with background information that may not affect them.
Here’s a sample email announcing a company’s decision to reduce work-from-home days:
The subject is marked as “INFO” so the reader knows no response is required.
The email then leads with the bottom line: “We will reduce the number
of days that employees can work from home from three to one day per week effective December 1st ...
pointing the reader to the important information in the email.
If an email requires more explanation, list background information after the BLUF
as bullet points so that recipients can quickly grasp your message.
In this case, the recipient learns the decision is final, supported by management, and intended
to result in positive effects for the company.
Finally, be economical in your emails ... short emails are more effective than long ones.
Try to fit all content in one pane, so the reader doesn’t have to scroll.
And avoid using passive voice – it makes sentences longer.
Instead, use active voice which puts nouns ahead of verbs, so it’s clear who is doing the action.
Using active voice makes the “verbs do the work for you.”
Instead of, “To accommodate the CFO’s schedule, the weekly update meeting for Thursday
has been scheduled for Thursday at 2 PM,” military professionals would say,
“We scheduled the weekly update meeting for Thursday at 2 PM to accommodate the CFO’s schedule.”
And, to prevent clogging inboxes, share links to attachments rather than attaching files.
This makes the reader check the attachment website which likely has the latest version.
Doing so also ensures that the reader has the right security credentials to see the
file rather than sending it to someone who doesn’t.
By adopting military email etiquette — using keywords in the subject, bottom line up front,
background bullets, and active voice — you will introduce a kernel of
clarity to your correspondence and that of your colleagues and clients.