Why Writing Effective Emails Matters

We spend lots of time committing to interview practices.

We worry about what we will say to future employers in order to seal the deal and get the job. So why don’t we take the same level of dedication and time over writing emails? Or even when we do try, why don’t our emails have the powerful impression that we desire them to have? 

Part of the reason could be the lack of training, lack of dedication, lack of care, or just the fact we are swamped with work or emails themselves. According to research by the McKinsey Global Institute, the average employee spends 81 working days every year answering emails. Not that this qualifies as an excuse to write careless emails, but there is an understanding as to why there can be a cause of slack in the effort. On the other hand, it can be argued that if email is so prevalent in our daily lives, shouldn’t it be a top priority to a skill we master? If you’re going to spend a quarter of your working life writing emails, then learning to do it effectively should make sense. 

Since you are using so much of your time conducting or responding to these emails, wouldn’t you want people to read and act on your emails? This can be better enforced through writing proper emails. How you write your emails matters. You may not realize but your ability to write emails will have a huge influence on your career path in the future. If you do not learn to write clear, professional, intelligent emails, your co-workers and your boss will assume you’re incompetent. This could result in you being stuck in your current position, never receiving promotions, or being taken seriously.  

You may ask, can’t anyone write a good email? Isn’t this easy to do? Most people can read and know proper spelling and grammar, right? Isn’t that enough? Think of all the emails you’ve received in your life. They may have been grammatically correct. But they didn’t make a whole lot of sense or have a whole lot of impact. Just because a person can talk (or in this case type) it doesn’t make them a good public speaker. Writing effective emails is a skill, and it’s one you can learn. 

 Through our courses at Open Ocean Group, you will learn the dos and don’ts of what it takes to make an effective email. We will teach you how to focus on the recipient, get their attention through the subject topic line, get opened and read, be kind and respectful, have correct spelling and grammar, make the recipient feel good, leave no room for interpretation, write more concisely, and have a clear call to action. If all of this sounds good and you are ready to improve your email writing skills, then stay tuned!