I’ve been enjoying nuggets of wisdom from newsletters and this morning, I received two tips about writing emails that were worth saving.

[1] Kat’s tip about writing better questions in emails

It’s tempting to think that this multiple choice approach makes it easier for the respondent to reply…However, I’ve found that the opposite is actually true. I receive a much clearer response when I ask a short and direct question—as opposed to relying my previously long-winded approach.

Example: Should I include images in this article? Or, should it just be strictly text? vs. Should I include images in this article?

[2] Lily Herman’s tips on excluding certain these five words because it makes you sound less confident

Just, Hopefully, Actually, Kind Of, Sorry.

Dang, I use three (just, hopefully, and apologies) out of the five words in the list above.

Lesson learned — I should be more direct and confident in all of my communications.

What do you think is the best way to rephrase “just checking in,” because “do you have any updates?” seems a bit aggressive?

Photo by Igor Son on Unsplash