Waaay back at the beginning of my career, I thought it was very important to explain myself fully in emails.
Explain the situation, the background, the options, the pros and cons, what to do next.
My very favorite thing to do was to point out what is wrong, and why it's wrong, and how to fix it. I was sure all my lucky recipients appreciated my timely thoughts and helpful suggestions.
I didn't just write emails, I wrote reports. I wrote the whole story as I saw it and poured out my views. I was therapizing my out of control ego. I had very patient friends and colleagues.
Of course I finally came to realize that my emails weren't having the effect I hoped. They were going straight into the trash. Today we have an acronym for it: TLDR, for "too long, didn't read."
Today, we get more emails than ever. And I've completely changed my approach to them.
The best emails today are short and sweet, terse and telegraphic, brief and all-business.
Since nine out of ten emails are really requests for information, a to-do being assigned, or a delivery of information, it's best to start crafting your emails to make their purpose drop-dead obvious. Being short is the best thing you can possibly be in an email.
Pro Tips for Awesome Emails
One topic or item per email. No "compound emails." Got multiple, separate things to communicate? Send each in a separate email.
The very best email is just a short, substantive subject line followed by (eom) "end of message." The recipient does not even need to open the email.
If you're working on a named project with others, consider using that project's name as a prefix to your email subject line. For example, "Q4 All Hands Zoom: Link & Agenda" or "Omega project: Meeting notes: September 30, 2021"
Consider adding (fyi) "for your information" as a prefix to the subject line if you're delivering information that the recipient can read later
Three line emails only...yes, that's right, limit yourself to three lines of text in your email (excluding your salutation and your close).
Be really clear and direct. There should be no confusion about what you're saying or asking for