Have you ever fired off a message to someone, needing a time-sensitive reply and not heard back?
It’s frustrating but understandable, given how busy life has become.
Communicating effectively with busy people takes a bit of extra effort but is worth it to create a positive interaction and get a timely response.
Here are 3 tips to help us out:
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Use fewer words – shorter messages are easier to read and less intimidating to add to a busy schedule. Try editing your message to use fewer syllables per word and fewer words per sentence.
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Make key information obvious and noticeable – provide a TL;DR option by using bold type, italics, highlighting, your subject line and your final sentences to direct attention to the most important element.
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Make the response easy – where possible, try to limit the required response to a single action and an easy one. A simple binary yes/no is better than a “what do you think?”
With just these 3 simple actions, you can make your email communication more palatable to a busy reader and increase your chances of getting the response you need, when you need it.