You’ve just finished drafting an email to prepare your employees for an upcoming meeting with an important client. Before you hit send, take a moment to refine your message using these three simple steps. Your goal? Ensure clarity, actionability, and focus on what matters.
1. Use the One-Sentence Technique
Challenge yourself to summarize your email’s core message in one concise sentence—just three to five words. This exercise forces you to pinpoint your objectives and ensures your message is clear and direct.
Ask yourself:
- What’s the key takeaway I want my employees to remember?
For example:
- Instead of a lengthy paragraph, say: “Prepare to showcase client success.”
This saves time and communicates the main point without unnecessary filler.
2. Specify the Actions Needed
Your employees need clear, actionable instructions—not vague directives. Avoid generalizations like “Be nice to the client.” Instead, be specific about the behavior you want to see:
- “Greet the client with a smile, and answer their questions thoroughly.”
Limit vague verbs such as “to be,” which leave room for interpretation. Precise instructions empower your team to deliver exactly what’s expected.
3. Acknowledge Profitable Actions
Reinforce behaviors that have led to success in the past by being specific about what worked. Vague praise like “Winning that contract was great” doesn’t help employees understand what to replicate. Instead, focus on the action that drove the success:
- “Catering to the client’s needs led to winning the proposal.”
When you’re precise, employees know where to direct their attention. For instance:
- Some might analyze the client’s portfolio to tailor solutions.
- Others might brainstorm strategies to address the client’s needs.
Acknowledging specific actions helps your team focus their energy on what truly drives results.
Key Takeaways
By applying these three steps—summarizing your message, specifying actionable instructions, and highlighting profitable actions—you can transform a routine email into a powerful tool for guiding your team. Clear, concise, and actionable communication ensures everyone is aligned and ready to achieve success.
Take a moment to revise your email before sending it. A little extra effort now can make a big difference later.
