Writing Productive Emails

Neuroinclusive email etiquette ensures our digital communications are accessible to everyone, including neurodivergent colleagues 😊. Confusion can lead to waste effort.. e.g. doing the wrong work without the intent to do so.. By crafting clear, concise emails, we not only share information effectively but also create a more inclusive work environment. Start with a descriptive subject line and use simple, direct language. Break your content into short paragraphs or bullet points to help guide the reader’s eye 👀. A brief summary at the beginning can also provide clarity and reduce cognitive load. Also try these and more.... • Use clear, jargon‐free language. • Structure your message with bullet points or numbered lists. • Keep sentences short and to the point. • Allow for extra time when expecting responses, recognising diverse processing speeds 🤝. Adopting these practices makes our communication friendlier and more effective for everyone. Let’s lead by example and foster a workplace where digital correspondence is both respectful and accessible 😊.

I have a hypothesis about why some salespeople sound like robots. They sell complex products, so they think they need a lot of specialized jargon to explain them. I also suspect salespeople believe they need to sound professional. The problem? Jargon and corporate-speak are counterproductive. They confuse your message. As Donald Miller says, “When you confuse, you lose.” How can we make the “sales voice” go away? Notice the difference between this sentence: “Our onboarding process ensures a comprehensive understanding of our product’s capabilities.” And this sentence: “We’ll walk you through everything to make sure you’re comfortable and ready to roll.” Before: “You may customize your dashboard settings to align with your specific preferences.” After: “Set up your dashboard just the way you like it.” Before: “Our platform provides a 360-degree view of customer interactions, enabling comprehensive insights and streamlined data access.” After: “See everything about your customers in one place.” Imagine explaining your product to a friend over coffee—not a room full of executives. Use short sentences, plain language, and words they’d actually say in real life. Instead of “optimize efficiencies,” try “make it easier.” Instead of “comprehensive insights,” say “see the big picture.” The goal is clarity, not complexity. When your message is easy to understand, people feel like you’re talking with them, not at them. And that’s when trust—and sales—happen.

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗴𝗶𝗯𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀? I sure have. As a Solutions Consultant, it's easy to slip into jargon-filled explanations. But here's the thing: most clients don't speak 'tech'. So, I've been working on translating our solutions into everyday language. Here's what I've learned: Instead of: "We need to optimize your document workflows." Try: "Let's make finding and using your files quicker and easier." Rather than: "Implementing metadata tagging for retrieval." Say: "We'll add labels to your files so you can find them in seconds." Skip: "The system provides OCR functionality." Go with: "Our tool can read and search text in images and scanned documents." Avoid: "Ensure compliance with regulatory standards." Use: "We'll help you follow all the rules and stay out of trouble." Don't say: "Integrate cloud-based storage solutions." Instead: "Store your files online so you can access them from anywhere." Replace: "Facilitating automated approval processes." With: "Set up automatic sign-offs to speed up your work." Swap: "Enhance document version control." For: "Keep track of changes and always work on the latest version." Instead of: "Ensure a robust disaster recovery plan." Try: "We'll make sure your files are safe, even if something goes wrong." Rather than: "Improve user access permissions." Say: "Control who can see and edit your documents." Skip: "Streamline archiving and retention policies." Go with: "Organize your old files and decide what to keep or delete." It's amazing how much clearer things become when we drop the fancy words. What's your experience with tech talk? Any funny misunderstandings? Share your stories - let's learn from each other! My name is Halid Ayob, I'm passionate about helping professionals optimize their work with digital tools like DocuWare. If this story resonates with you, give it a repost and follow me for more insights. #Digitalization #TechJargons #Optimize #BrandBuilderTalents

No one is waking up at 7am, sipping coffee, thinking, “Wow, I really hope someone explains holistic wealth architecture today.” People want clarity. They want content that feels like a conversation, not a lecture. They want to understand what you’re saying the first time they read it. Write like you're talking to a real person. Not trying to win a Pulitzer. - Use short sentences. - Cut the jargon. - Sound like someone they’d trust with their money, not someone who spends weekends writing whitepapers for fun. Confused clients don’t ask for clarification. They move on. Here’s how to make your content clearer: 1. Ask yourself: Would my mom understand this? If the answer is “probably not,” simplify it until she would. No shade to your mom, she’s just a great clarity filter. 2. Use the “friend test.” Read it out loud. If it sounds weird or overly stiff, imagine explaining it to a friend at lunch. Rewrite it like that. 3. Replace jargon with real words. Say “retirement income you won’t outlive” instead of “longevity risk mitigation strategy.” Your clients are not Googling your vocabulary. 4. Stick to one idea per sentence. If your sentence is doing cartwheels and dragging a comma parade behind it, break it up. 5. Format like you actually want them to read it. Use line breaks. Add white space. Make it skimmable. No one wants to read a block of text the size of a mortgage document. Writing clearly isn’t dumbing it down. It’s respecting your audience enough to make content easy to understand. What’s the worst jargon-filled phrase you’ve seen in the wild? Let’s roast it.

Communicate like a human. This is what we call the 'barbecue chat' - how would you explain something or talk about what you do with people at a backyard barbecue? Would you recommend someone "buy an apple" or "procure the round green fruit"? In the corporate world - and the academic world - we often fall into the trap of writing in this flowery, jargon-heavy language because we think it gives a more professional (or, dare I say it, more intelligent) impression. The reality is, this language comes across as spin, fluff, or corporate BS. If your communication is unclear, hard to understand, or frustrating to engage with, you won't get the outcome you want. You're talking to humans, so write for humans. Not for robots. Remember: keeping it simple is not dumbing it down. Keeping it simple is smart. #WritingTips #CommunicationSkills #Communication [Image description: Pink and white text on a dark blue background. The text reads - How we think we should write: 'Procure the round green fruit.' How we should write: 'Buy an apple'.

Stop telling on yourself by trying to use big fancy words and complicated explanations. Using big words to sound smart makes you sound less smart. Sales reps think using complex language makes them look professional. They throw around industry jargon and technical terms to prove they know their stuff. But research shows emails written at a third grade reading level get 36% higher response rates than emails with complex language. Your prospects aren't impressed by your vocabulary. They're scanning your email for 3 to 4 seconds trying to decide if it's worth their time. When they see complicated language, their brain registers it as extra work. Complex language creates barriers. It confuses prospects, makes your message harder to digest, and causes frustration. Clear, simple copy helps prospects quickly grasp your message. Clarity is what drives action. I personally aim to write emails at a fifth grade comprehension level. This isn't talking down to anyone. It means using clear language that's easy to understand, even if someone is skimming on their phone between meetings. Make your message so clear that prospects immediately understand the benefits you're offering and feel confident taking the next step. They respond because you made it easy for them to engage. Simple stands out in sales copywriting. 📌 What's one piece of jargon you need to cut from your outreach?

I've noticed a new trend recently: my inbox and LinkedIn messages are filled with lengthy, perfectly-written paragraphs that say absolutely nothing. They "hope I'm doing well," "explore synergies," and are filled with buzzwords. They are written by AI, and they are completely pointless. At the beginning of my career, I thought more words meant more professional. I would write long, formal emails, thinking I was being thorough. I was just making it easy for busy people to ignore me. I quickly learned on Wall Street that the most powerful people are also the most direct. Their emails are three sentences long. They don't have time for fluff. They respect clarity. If you want to connect with a Senior Executive, close a deal, or simply get a response, you need to unlearn what you think makes you sound smart. - Don't "explore synergies." State your purpose in the first sentence. "I'm writing to you with a proposal about X," or "I am seeking your advice on Y." Don't make the reader search for the reason you're contacting them. - Don't send a wall of text. Use bullet points. Keep your sentences short. If your message looks like a novel, it won't get read. High-achievers scan, they don't read. Make your message scannable. - Don't use AI to write for you; use it to sharpen your own thoughts. Use AI to help you brainstorm or summarize, but the final message must be in your own, authentic voice. We can all spot a generic, soulless AI template from a mile away. Moral of the story: Stop trying to sound impressive and start trying to be clear with brevity and authenticity. Who agrees with me? #Communication #Productivity #Networking #Leadership

After 30+ years as a management consultant, I spoke fluent corporate. It's like watching the work version of fashion week. Just when you mastered one trend, a new one struts down the runway. Over the years, I’ve "driven alignment", "unlocked synergies", and built "flywheels for growth." I’ve "optimized the customer journey", "scaled digital transformation", and sat in meetings about "future-proofing", "platforms", and "next-gen ecosystems." But when language gets fancier, thinking often gets fuzzier. I’ve witnessed too many meetings where few actually understood what was said, yet everyone nodded, hoping someone else did. That’s the cost of jargon: it slows decisions and kills curiosity. This isn’t like surgery or aviation, where technical terms prevent mistakes. We’re talking about running businesses, where the real work is aligning humans, not acronyms. So here’s my simple rule: 1️⃣ Don’t use jargon when plain words will do. 2️⃣ Don’t pretend to understand - ask. 3️⃣ And explain things like you would to a non-corporate friend. Clarity isn’t dumbing down. It’s leveling up. And great leadership isn’t about sounding smart; it’s about helping people understand, and taking action together. Next time you’re tempted to “circle back to ideate around the whitespace,” just say: “Let’s talk about what we actually want to do.” Trust me. Everyone will thank you for it.

We lost a deal because of an email. True story. A few months back, we were pitching #CloudHire to a major HR tech company. We’d done the demo, nailed the call they were this close to signing. Then I sent a follow-up email… full of jargon. “Data-driven integration for recruitment readiness automation…” Yeah. I sound tired reading it too. No reply. Two weeks later, I got a polite “We’re going in a different direction.” When I asked for feedback, the client said, “You guys sound great. But we didn’t feel what you do.” That was a punch to the gut. I’d forgotten the first rule of selling: People don’t buy products. They buy clarity. We rewrote all our outreach. Plain language. No fluff. “CloudHire helps recruiters see who’s actually ready to join before the offer letter.” Next month? 3x response rate. The AI hack? We use ChatGPT to translate our internal tech-speak into what I call “street English.” If your grandmother can’t understand your pitch, rewrite it. Most startups don’t lose deals because they’re bad. They lose them because they sound smarter than their customer. 💭 What’s one thing you overcomplicate that your customer just needs simplified?

Drop the buzzwords. Phrases like “circle back,” “synergies,” “optimize,” and “game-changer” don’t help anyone. They don’t make you sound smarter or more engaging. They just add fluff and weaken your message. Say what you mean. Write and talk like you’re having a normal conversation with a friend. Who would ever say, “Lunch was game-changing”, you’d probably say, “Lunch was great.” Look at your last LinkedIn post, meeting transcript, email, or Slack message. Replace one buzzword with something specific and clear. If you’re up for it, share a buzzword you’re ditching in the comments. My guess is we’ll see the same ones over and over. Why does this matter? Clear communication cuts through the noise and makes you stand out.