How to draft an email

Do you know what’s the first rule of writing? Doesn’t matter whether you are writing your great novel, a blog post, or an email for work or to a friend. All of them have one rule in common.

Namely, write something first. Once you have something written down/typed out, then you can edit it later. Today we will focus on how to write a good email for work. It is an important aspect of just about any white collar job.

Note that what I have proposed here is probably more specific to the Singapore Foreign Service. I did find from my experience that my colleagues and counterparts from other countries did not operate based on the same rules more often than not.

Bear in mind the first rule – just draft. You can edit later. OK?

The basic structure that I used in just about every email I wrote, regardless of purpose, was:

• Introduction – the backdrop to your email. What is this about?
• Substance – this is where I layout what I need from the recipient, or what I need them to know.
• Conclusion – if there is a deadline for what I need, this is where I write it.

I still use this format to this day and I believe it will serve you well. Let’s look at an edited version of a recent one I sent out. The intro looked like this:

“Dear all,

We are organising an event from 29-31 February. The event will involve the VIP and is meant to benefit the people in the area.”

The details are clear – there is an event, and the date is given. The importance of the event is highlighted with the involvement of the VIP. Moving onto the substance portion:

“We will need ten people to help us organise and run the event. In addition, we also need help with designing of publicity and collateral items for the event. We would be grateful if you could provide us with ten members from your team.”

The first part here outlines what I need in a more generic fashion and ends with a specific request. Sometimes, there might be more information required, like:

“We understand that your department is facing a manpower shortage. Thus, if you are unable to provide us with ten, please let us know what is the maximum number of people you can make available.”

The key thing here is not to get tangled up in language. Keep it simple and to the point. And the finale:

“Please let us know by 31 Jan 2022 if you will be able to provide the requested manpower.”

A clear deadline for a reply has been set. This helps the recipient and you plan your respective work schedules. And if you don’t have a reply by that date, you have a reason to send a reminder.

Speaking of reminders, I am not a fan of sending a “gentle reminder” on the day of the deadline. I prefer to trust the other side. But when I was still in MFA, it was not uncommon to do something like that.

There you have it, a simple framework on how to draft an email. Bear in mind that this particular format works best when you are writing to request something from the recipient. If you are sending something for information, your conclusion might just say “For information”.

A final note is to check and double check your recipient list. This is especially important if you are sending something out to a shitload of people. It is very easy to use outdated lists or accidentally insert someone who should not be there. This is one part of why being meticulous with your work is something your bosses will always harp on.

Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions. =)