1 00:00:02,920 --> 00:00:06,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:08,680 --> 00:00:13,080 Speaker 1: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:16,360 Speaker 1: Today's tip comes from a listener who discovered how to 4 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 1: write much more efficient emails. Email is a great tool 5 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:24,560 Speaker 1: I love hearing from Before Breakfast listeners. For instance, email 6 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: can be sent and received at whatever time works for 7 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:31,600 Speaker 1: the sender and recipient. This is very efficient, but email 8 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 1: can also cause a lot of confusion. People skim long 9 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:38,120 Speaker 1: messages and miss the last line asking for what the 10 00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:41,600 Speaker 1: message was really about. Or people read a long message 11 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 1: trying to figure out what the sender wants, only to 12 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:46,479 Speaker 1: get to the end and realize that the sender doesn't 13 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:49,479 Speaker 1: need anything. The email could have been processed at a 14 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:53,600 Speaker 1: less urgent time. In any case, Before Breakfast listener Peter 15 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:57,200 Speaker 1: wrote in with an email format that he uses. It 16 00:00:57,280 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: forces the writer to be more thoughtful, gets to the 17 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,960 Speaker 1: of the problem quickly, and allows the recipient to deal 18 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 1: with it efficiently and effectively. He says, here's how it goes. First, 19 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:11,520 Speaker 1: put in the subject line what you want the recipient 20 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:16,440 Speaker 1: to do with the email. Example phrases include for approval, 21 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:20,959 Speaker 1: for info, for endorsement, for action, update to previous email 22 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:24,040 Speaker 1: and so forth. After you've written what the person should 23 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:28,080 Speaker 1: do with it, then you write the subject. Peter notes 24 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:30,480 Speaker 1: that this allows the recipient to sort win to deal 25 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 1: with it. So an office refurbishment project, for instance, might 26 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:38,320 Speaker 1: inspire an email with the subject for approval new furniture purchase. 27 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:41,920 Speaker 1: Then you start the email with what Peter calls a 28 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:45,480 Speaker 1: b l u F. Maybe we'll say that's a bluff 29 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:50,200 Speaker 1: that stands for bottom line up front, one sentence only. 30 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: Our furniture email might contain the bluff seeking your approval 31 00:01:54,640 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 1: to purchase new office furniture in line with new office 32 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 1: plan budget. If this is all the recipient needs, Peter notes, 33 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:05,160 Speaker 1: then he or she can just reply approved, No need 34 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:07,520 Speaker 1: to wade through anything else to get to the action required. 35 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:10,399 Speaker 1: Perhaps the person choosing furniture has done a great job 36 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 1: with the last round of furniture purchasing and it's not 37 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:16,040 Speaker 1: worth the manager's time to wait into the details. All 38 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 1: is good. Email has been read quickly and responded too quickly. 39 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 1: Now if the situation needs more explanation, then the next 40 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:26,640 Speaker 1: paragraph should be a what this is a one to 41 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 1: two sentence expansion on the bluff. Remember that's the bottom 42 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 1: line up front. After that you can include a so 43 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: what paragraph. Now this might not always be required, Peter notes, 44 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 1: but if the person receiving an email needs to know 45 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:43,800 Speaker 1: why they're being asked or why this needs to be 46 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 1: done by a certain point, this paragraph can explain it. 47 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:51,040 Speaker 1: Then the final paragraph contains the what next statement. This 48 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:54,920 Speaker 1: describes the next required action. Probably this was explained in 49 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:57,839 Speaker 1: the bottom line up front the bluff, but in case 50 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 1: there's any confusion, you can spell it out again here 51 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:04,520 Speaker 1: and then you're done. I like Peter's approach, and I 52 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:07,480 Speaker 1: think it's a good idea in general. For emails. There 53 00:03:07,560 --> 00:03:11,200 Speaker 1: is a place for long conversational notes, but when someone 54 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 1: gets two emails or more a day, that place is 55 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 1: probably not his or her inbox. Explaining exactly what you 56 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:21,360 Speaker 1: need in the subject line and putting the bottom line 57 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: up front increases the chances that the email inspires the 58 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:29,080 Speaker 1: action you desire. How do you make sure your emails 59 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: are efficient and effective? You can let me know by 60 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 1: email before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot com. In 61 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 1: the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's 62 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:50,080 Speaker 1: to making the most of our time. Hey everybody, I'd 63 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:52,560 Speaker 1: love to hear from you. You can send me your tips, 64 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 1: your questions, or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, 65 00:03:56,680 --> 00:04:01,400 Speaker 1: Facebook and Instagram at before Breakfast odd that's b E 66 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:06,200 Speaker 1: the number four, then breakfast p o D. You can 67 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:09,800 Speaker 1: also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast podcast at 68 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 1: i heeart media dot com that before Breakfast is spelled 69 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:15,480 Speaker 1: out with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look 70 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:23,839 Speaker 1: forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production 71 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: of I heart Radio. For more podcasts from I heart Radio, 72 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:31,320 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 73 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:32,720 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.