Better Business Communication: Tip 2—One subject at a time

When you want people to remember what you’ve told them, focus on a single, simple message. Many writers try to include too much information on too many topics in the same piece of writing, and readers end up not remembering any of it. Your brain simply can’t take it all in and file it away in your memory. Here are some tips to help you focus your emails and other writing on one subject at a time.

Stay on topic
If your message starts off with one subject and then moves on to other, unrelated things, readers may miss some important information. Many people’s inboxes are so full that they only skim the beginning of an email to see whether it applies to them and is urgent. If the part that is important to them is six paragraphs down, they may not notice it.

If you have to cover several things with the same readers, there are two good options.
Send multiple emails: Cover one subject per email and only send it to the people who really need to get it. This makes your message quick to read, clear, and easy to find later.
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List the topics first: If you want to provide information or updates on several things to the same people, you can put a numbered list at the beginning of your email that tells readers all of the topics covered below. Write the content in the same order you’ve listed it in so that readers can jump ahead if they want to. Use subheadings (with numbering that matches your list) in your email to indicate where a new topic begins.

Don’t bury the lede
A “lede” is journalist jargon for the most important aspect of a story. When newspapers or magazine articles take too long to get to the point, it’s called “burying the lede” and it’s a big no-no. Whether you’re writing a quick email or a detailed report, make sure your main point is the first thing readers see. (Reports often begin with an executive summary that serves this purpose.) In emails, focus on both your subject line and the first sentence of your message. Your subject line should clearly explain the topic of your email. Resist the urge to use funny or creative subject lines. People who see email an notification pop up, but can’t tell what the message is about, are less likely to make reading the message a priority.
Here is an example of a buried lede and an effective one.

​Buried:

Clear:

Start a new thread
Have you ever tried to find something important in an old email, but you can’t find any emails that appear to be on the subject you’re looking for? Often, people start a new conversation by replying to an old email thread. When this happens, the subject line doesn’t reflect the new topic, and it can be hard to find the email when you need to refer back to it.

Any time you want to discuss a new topic, start a new email thread with a clear subject line. Emails have become the most common “paper trail” for tracking past decisions, instructions, and discussions. It’s far from ideal, but since you know that this is likely to happen you should try to make those emails as clear and easy to find as possible.
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You may think that it's a waste of time to read through every email before you hit “send” to make sure that you’re only covering one subject and that the most important information comes first. But the amount of time that you’re likely to waste on reminders, answering questions, and searching for the right email thread later will probably far exceed the time it takes to write clearly in the first place.

​If your organization's internal communications aren't as clear and efficient as you would like, contact me about setting up a workshop to cover some plain language writing principles with your team. Better internal communications save time, prevent mistakes and improve staff morale.