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How to write a message people act on

You need a reply, a decision, or an action, and your message will be one of many your reader sees today. This guide helps you decide what you want, write it so it is understood in seconds, and send it in a state that reflects well on you.

14 topics · 80 min · Press play to listen in order, or read any topic.

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Phase 1 · 5 topics · 29 min

Decide what you want and put it first

Most messages that go unanswered were unclear about what was being asked. Settle that, then give it to the reader in the first lines.

  1. Think about who will read this and what they already know. The same request needs different wording for a director and for a teammate.

    6:04 Read

  2. Decide the one or two things the reader must take away. If you cannot name them, the reader will not find them.

    5:56 Read

  3. Write a subject line that says what the message is and what you need. It is often the only part that is read before the reader decides when to open it.

    5:43 Read

  4. Open with the request and the reason. Background comes afterwards, for those who want it.

    5:33 Read

  5. Arrange what follows so the reader can find things: short paragraphs, a clear order, and anything they must do set apart.

    5:31 Read

Your taskBefore continuing, write a subject line and an opening sentence that would be enough on their own.

Phase 2 · 6 topics · 35 min

Make it easy to read and hard to misread

Written words lose your voice and your expression. Check how the message will sound to someone who cannot hear you.

  1. Leave out what the reader does not need in order to act. Every extra paragraph lowers the chance that the important one is read.

    6:09 Read

  2. Where something might be misunderstood, give a concrete example. One example prevents a round of clarifying replies.

    5:50 Read

  3. Use plain words and short sentences. Writing that shows off your vocabulary is writing that gets skimmed.

    5:51 Read

  4. Read for the attitude your words carry. A message meant as brisk is easily received as curt.

    5:47 Read

  5. State the request and the deadline outright. Do not leave the reader to infer what you want.

    5:44 Read

  6. Be direct without being abrupt. A sentence of courtesy costs little and keeps the reader willing to help.

    5:24 Read

Your taskBefore continuing, read the draft as the recipient would, on a busy day, in a bad mood.

Phase 3 · 3 topics · 17 min

Check it and send it properly

The last five minutes decide whether the message looks careful or careless.

  1. Revise for order and flow. Move the important sentence up, cut the repeated one, and make it read as one voice.

    5:08 Read

  2. Find the typos and errors before the reader does. Small mistakes make people doubt the care behind the rest.

    5:46 Read

  3. Send it to the right people, by the right channel, at a time they are likely to see it. Who receives a message is part of what it says.

    5:51 Read

Your taskFinish by checking the recipients, the attachments, and the first sentence one more time before you send.