Writing Effective Emails to Project Stakeholders

Project managers, your stakeholder's time is your budget Every email. Every slide deck. Every meeting invite. It all costs them attention. And just like money, attention is limited. If you flood them with noise, you dilute your influence. If you curate with intention, you build trust. Protect your stakeholders' attention while maximizing your impact. Here's how: ✅ Cut the fluff Status updates should not be a novel. Get to the point in the first sentence. What's changed, what's next, what's needed. Give more detail below if they want to get more context (optional). ✅ Match the medium to the message Not every update needs a meeting. Not every decision needs a 20-slide deck. Right-size your communication to boost value. ✅ Give them the headline, not the transcript Execs don't have time to sift through details. Give them the distilled version that helps them act. Tip: tailor your communication to each leader based on what they need to know. ✅ Use their language Translate team jargon into terms they care about. Risk, cost, value, timeline, next steps. ✅ End with clarity Every touchpoint should answer: "what do you need from me?" If nothing, say that too (and cancel the touchpoint). Protect your stakeholders' attention. So that you can earn more of it. 🤙

Stop saying “Hi!” Effective communication is essential to building a strong company culture. At Proletariat Inc., our Cultural Communication Guide (https://lnkd.in/ecFxFjVe) included specific guidelines for email that helped improve clarity and efficiency—especially as we scaled and remote work increased during the 2020 lockdowns. For a long time, we didn’t have a formal email structure, but as our team and volume of emails grew, it became challenging to separate important messages from the noise. This led us to establish an email protocol that was direct, purpose-driven, and clear. How to Write Better Emails Our approach was inspired by the Harvard Business Review (https://lnkd.in/euhyKbmd) and adapted to fit our needs. 1. Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF) Start with the main point. Summarize the purpose of your email in one concise sentence at the very top. Avoid lengthy introductions—get straight to the important details to respect the reader’s time. 2. Subject Line Keywords Use subject line keywords to categorize each email’s purpose, ensuring the reader immediately understands the intent. Only use one keyword per email thread; if you need more than one, consider splitting the message into separate emails. Here’s the breakdown: - [Feedback]: You’re seeking feedback, and it’s optional. Specify the response deadline to avoid late feedback impacting decisions. - [Action]: You’re requesting action from the reader. This usually involves a specific deadline and is often time-sensitive. - [Info]: You’re sharing information that doesn’t require a response—purely informational. - [Request]: You’re requesting a decision or permission. Be sure to specify the date by which you need a response. 3. Set a Clear Timeframe Indicate any deadlines directly in the email. If it’s urgent, add “URGENT” to the subject line and follow up with a direct message or in-person check-in for prompt action. 4. Structure and Tools Keep it organized and concise. Use bullet points, lists, and concise sentences instead of long paragraphs to improve readability. Direct action with @mentions: Tag individuals with the “@” symbol to clarify what each person needs to do in response, making it easier for everyone to see their responsibilities. How to Respond to Emails If you need more than a day to respond, acknowledge the email and provide an estimated response time. This helps maintain clear communication and sets expectations for follow-up. Create a culture around the expected response time to emails. If you are on a email thread with multiple people but follow up and close the loop through a different channel (chat, meeting, etc) be sure to respond back to the group and explain that this is resolved. Final Thoughts While this email structure worked well for us, each company may need to tailor it to fit its unique culture. Defining and training your team on an effective email style is worthwhile to improve communication, ensure clarity, and save time across the board.

Listen, Linda, your clients are busy. They don’t have time to read an essay every time you send an update. The trick? Get to the point without losing that professional touch. Here’s how to do it: 1. Start with the Outcome Instead of building up to your point, lead with it! Say, “The project is on track, and we’re set to finish by Friday.” Then, add any details if needed. 2. Use Bullet Points for Clarity Instead of a chunky paragraph, break it down: → Completed tasks → Next steps → Any questions/feedback needed 3. End with One Clear CTA Don’t overwhelm your client with multiple questions or requests. Keep it simple: “Please review the draft by Thursday and let me know your thoughts.” Remember: Your client shouldn’t have to dig through fluff to find the key info. Be direct, be clear, and make it easy for them to respond. VA OG Tip: After drafting your email, read it once and cut out any words that don’t add value. Less is more! Ready to write emails that get replies, not eye rolls? Follow me for more VA insights! Monica ✌🏼❤️

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 Most corporate emails are ignored because they’re too long, unclear, or boring. Want to write emails that people 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 read and respond to? Use this formula: 📌 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲 – Be direct. Instead of “𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏”, try “𝑭𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘-𝑼𝒑 𝒐𝒏 𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒋𝒆𝒄𝒕 𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆 – 𝑵𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑰𝒏𝒑𝒖𝒕”. 📌 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 – If your email has too many asks, it gets ignored. Keep it focused. 📌 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁-𝗟𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼 – Busy people skim. Put the main message in the first sentence. Example: “𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒍 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝑭𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒚. 𝑳𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔.” 📌 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 – If your email is more than five sentences, it’s probably too long. 📌 𝗘𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 – Instead of “𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸,” say “𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺 𝗯𝘆 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆?” 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 = 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘀. What’s your #1 email tip? Let’s hear it! #EffectiveCommunication #EmailWritingTips #ProfessionalCommunication #WorkplaceSuccess #CommunicationSkills #NetworkingTips