| Want to make reading your emails easy for your | | | | a situation when it is appropriate, other than when |
| recipients? You already know the drill: write clear and | | | | you're intentionally trying to make it hard for your |
| concise emails, duly proofread by a capable English | | | | reader to read through your work. |
| composition software. | | | | - For long emails, it is useful to use heading and |
| More than that, though, there are other factors that | | | | sub-headings, just like a long report. For HTML emails, |
| can go into producing emails that won't give your | | | | you can bold these headings and increase the font |
| readers' fits. One area, in particular, is the layout and | | | | size for better clarity; for plain text ones, we |
| visual presentation of your communication. | | | | recommend writing them in all-capital letters. |
| Many people look at emails as informal pieces of | | | | - Use bulleted and numbered lists whenever |
| writing and treat is as such. While there's nothing | | | | appropriate. People like skimming through emails - |
| wrong with a more casual, conversational writing style, | | | | these things make that activity much easier. |
| there is something terribly wrong when you break the | | | | - Avoid complex HTML layouts. Bolded words and |
| rules of sensible presentation to produce your writing. It | | | | links are fine, but doing stuff like inserting pictures in the |
| always pays to keep in mind that you're still writing a | | | | middle of the text or adding Flash animations can blow |
| document - one that's looking to communicate your | | | | up in your face i fthey don't display correctly on some |
| ideas to somebody else. | | | | of your recipients' end. |
| - Never use all-capitals in your emails. We can't think of | | | | |