How to write short, succinct emails?

tl;dr

It might be helpful if you post a writing sample, e.g. one of your e-mails (with sensitive info redacted, of course) w/r/t a cover letter that you think may be "long-winded" and let us make concrete suggestions. There are different ways one can be long-winded and perhaps we can help.

Be more precise in your descriptions. Use the right word, rather than 5 or 6 adequate words.

You just need to reflect on what you write.

You used as a title "How to write short, succinct emails?" Strike "short," and you now have a better title.

Originally Posted by suited

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Be more precise in your descriptions. Use the right word, rather than 5 or 6 adequate words.

Be careful here, I write very accurately and am regularly told that my emails are difficult for "normal" people to understand which leads to more confusion than if I'd simply written a long and meandering senence. For example:

I write: The trouser leg aperture.

They want me to write: The width of the opening at the end of the trouser leg.

Doesn't always pay to use fewer words, especially if your audience is of varying intelligence levels.

Since you're writing a cover letter, you need to realize that nobody really cares what you have to say. Also, if they did, they will only skim your email. That should go a long way it cutting down the length of your correspondence.

Brevity is the soul

Originally Posted by Blackhood

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Be careful here, I write very accurately and am regularly told that my emails are difficult for "normal" people to understand which leads to more confusion than if I'd simply written a long and meandering senence. For example:

I write: The trouser leg aperture.

They want me to write: The width of the opening at the end of the trouser leg.

Doesn't always pay to use fewer words, since your audience is of varying intelligence levels.

FTFY.

Originally Posted by Blackhood

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Be careful here, I write very accurately and am regularly told that my emails are difficult for "normal" people to understand which leads to more confusion than if I'd simply written a long and meandering senence. For example: I write: The trouser leg aperture. They want me to write: The width of the opening at the end of the trouser leg. Doesn't always pay to use fewer words, especially if your audience is of varying intelligence levels.
It has nothing to do with varying intelligence levels, really. Go pick up Strunk and White's style guide. A thesaurus does not a good writer make. You want to convey your thoughts as clearly as possible, while still keeping some pith. In your example, you could just say: The width of the leg opening. This is longer than your original sentence, but still conveys the meaning and is relatively to the point. Again, and especially for the OP, go read Strunk and White. Edit: One of the smartest people I've ever met is also one of the most accessible writers. He writes using normal, everyday language and keeps his sentence structures correct, but simple. I've found that those who have to write using big words and complex sentences tend to be compensating for their own insecurity in their ability. I don't have much experience in the business community, but this holds true in the academic community in my experience.

Six sentences.
No more.

You''ll get good at it.

Get comfortable being imprecise.

Before starting the email answer the following, on paper -

- What is the objective of this email?
- What action do I want the person to take after finishing reading it?
- Who is this person? How do they like to communicate? What else is on their plate?
- Why am I writing it?

Write the email and don't send it. Wait a few hours and then go back and re-read it. Eliminate 1/3 - 1/2 of what you've written.

Originally Posted by Blackhood

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Be careful here, I write very accurately and am regularly told that my emails are difficult for "normal" people to understand which leads to more confusion than if I'd simply written a long and meandering senence. For example: I write: The trouser leg aperture. They want me to write: The width of the opening at the end of the trouser leg. Doesn't always pay to use fewer words, especially if your audience is of varying intelligence levels.
This makes no sense to even an intelligent audience. You're using "aperture", a word almost always associated with optics, as a synonym for opening. If you instead wrote "The trouser leg opening", that doesn't make sense either because it doesn't specify any property of the opening. What's wrong with "The trouser leg opening width"?

Originally Posted by Dakota rube

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Six sentences. No more. You''ll get good at it.
You're a wise man.

Originally Posted by ramuman

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You're a wise man.

I have the American chemical industry to thank for that.

Originally Posted by mm84321

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Try using less words.

I lol'd.