Check out my seven deadly sins of email writing and count up how many apply to you.

1. You sometimes send messages without a greeting or a closing.
2. You always use the same ending in every message, like ‘Kind regards’, or ‘Best regards’. In fact, it’s probably part of your automatic email signature.
3. You use lots of template messages that have been around in your company for decades.
4. You often receive replies asking you to clarify things and ask questions because your email wasn’t clear enough.
5. You feel it’s important to write emails in a very different way to how you speak, because it’s a written message and you must be more formal in writing.
6. Your emails are often long and repetitive because you need to say things over in different ways to make sure the reader gets your meaning eventually.
7. You must use phrases like ‘Please be informed…’ or ‘Please be advised…’ at the beginning of sentences because, well, it’s just polite, right?
8. You don’t know the difference between active and passive voice?
9. You were taught that you must write to impress, with big words and long sentences. So, of course, it must be the same now you’re in the workplace.
10. You don’t have time to read your message out loud, as if you are the reader, before hitting ‘send’.

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, you may be making your email and business writing more difficult than it should be. And more importantly, you’re making reading and responding much more difficult for your reader.

Life is fast paced. Businesses exist to get things done, and email is a large part of that. With limited time and so much mail in our inboxes, readers want to read messages and understand messages easily, and know exactly how to reply. People also want to know they are dealing with humans at the other side of the computer screen, so building relationships is also important.

I know you’re busy, so I’m developing a new series of short videos called ‘Writing Better Emails in English’. Tip 1 is out now on my YouTube channel, and I’m aiming at putting up one a week. Have you got 3 minutes?

Check it out here, and remember to like, subscribe, and add a comment under the video, so we can start a discussion there.

Part 3: Key Insights From The Future Leaders Summit

(If you missed the summit, good news! You can still get a 24-hour pass right here)

In December, I started publishing some articles in my series of key insights from my inaugural virtual summit. The Future Leaders Summit was an online event in which I interviewed 31 international bestselling authors and leadership experts. Thousands of people attended the summit from around the world and they learned so much from all these highly successful people.

In today’s article, I share some key insights from my interview with Alinka Rutkowska, a USA Today best-selling author, a Wall Street Journal bestselling author and a top 100 Amazon best-selling author in business and money. Alinka is CEO of Leaders Press and has launched all its titles to bestseller status. Alinka loves to help individuals move forward by sharing stories from her interviews with successful entrepreneurs, so here we’ll focus on the common factors for success and the importance of daily habits.

6 Common Factors For Success

In conducting hundreds of interviews , Alinka found that the most successful people repeatedly mentioned the same six key success factors: Passion, Vision, Persistence, Adaptability, Customer-centeredness, and Relationships.

The Importance Of Passion

Above all else, Alinka feels that the most important factor is Passion, because without this it can be really difficult to keep going.

One of her favourite books is The One Thing by Gary Keller, in which he recommends that we should find the “one thing” we are most passionate about, and then focus on this instead of wasting time on other things.

If you don’t start with passion, you’re probably not going to make it. Passion is the foundation.

Successful People Have Daily Habits And Routines

In her latest book, Supreme Leadership, Alinka reports on interviews with CEOs who have 25 years of experience or more. Instead of looking at common traits for success, in this book she delves deeper into habits of these highly successful people.

Many people have researched this topic, and most would agree that the most successful people in life are very disciplined. They figure out which routines or habits help them succeed, and they religiously stick to them.

Habits are actionable behaviours that an aspiring entrepreneur, or anyone, can replicate.

One thing that a large number of successful people agree on is the benefit of starting their day with meditation. First thing in the morning is actually the most stressful, because our cortisol levels are at their highest. Meditating first thing in the morning can help to clear away any stress and focus your mind so you start the day in a calm place.

When you win the morning routine, that sets you up for success for the rest of the day.

I hope you enjoyed learning some of the key traits and habits of successful people. I would love you to share your thoughts:

What is one of your most important key success factors?

What is one of your daily habits that you would recommend to others?

Here’s to your success!

Shirley

By the way, if you missed the Future Leaders Summit, good news! You can get your free 24-hour Summit pass right now.

PS: Here’s a testimonial from Karen Jacobson, www.thegpsgirl.com about the Future Leaders Summit: “Working with Shirley Taylor throughout the Future Leaders Summit was an exceptional experience. Her commitment to excellence and attention to detail resulted in a program with great insights from amazing experts and these learnings will enhance careers and change lives internationally. Shirley is a speaker, author and trainer who walks her talk and has a deep passion for developing leaders. I recommend her without hesitation.”

“Why didn’t we learn this at school or college?”

This is a common question in all my email and business writing workshops. It always leads to a discussion about the difference between writing in academic settings, and the writing we do now in the world of work.

Let’s take a look…

In the academic world, our main aims are to pass exams. We have to demonstrate to our lecturers and examiners that we have learned something. We have to argue a case, show how our minds work, or persuade readers of a particular theory. To do this, we need to use:

• more formal writing
• long sentences
• wide vocabulary
• complex language
• often third person
• passive voice

Why? Because we need to IMPRESS readers to demonstrate learning.

In the business world, our main aims are to get things done. We have to solve problems, clarify issues, propose new strategies, negotiate deals, report progress. To do this, we need to get our ideas across quickly, so clarity is key. We must use:

• less formal writing
• short sentences
• simple words
• clear and concise language
• bullets and numbers where possible
• active voice

Why? Because we need to EXPRESS ourselves clearly to get things done.

So why are so many people today writing emails full of long sentences, big words, long-winded paragraphs, passive voice and redundant expressions? They are trying to use the same style of writing that they did in college. This just doesn’t work in today’s fast paced business world.

Roughly 281 billion emails were sent and received each day in 2018. This figure is expected to increase to over 347 billion daily emails in 2022. (statista.com)

We just cannot afford to let this problem keep getting worse.

Whose responsibility is it?

It’s yours. It’s your manager’s. It’s your organisation’s. It’s up to every one of us today. Every single organisation in the world must get to grips with good business writing now. Let’s show our teams the benefit of writing in short sentences, using simple words, active voice, and clear, concise language… before it’s too late!

Want to learn more? Need help?

Email me today at shirley@sttstraining.com… but keep it short and simple, please.

I was thrilled to receive this email recently from a recent participant from a large organisation. She said:

Hi Shirley

I had a wonderful time at your workshop last week and learnt many useful tips. Recently, I added a human touch in my reply to a vendor, and his response was equally warm. Indeed, warmness generates warmness, and it really makes the sender and reader feel great. I’m also getting a quicker response to my emails now because the reader knows what action to take.

Thank you to Serene for emailing me*. It’s so wonderful to receive validation like this.

Do you want to receive similar results from your writing? Here are three ways you can make a huge difference every time you put your fingers on the keyboard:

1. Use conversational language

Decades ago, business writing was passive, wordy and formal. It put a distance between you and the reader, and that was fine in the 50s, because people built relationships slowly then. Today, we need to build relationships quickly, so it makes sense to use writing that’s as close as possible to spoken language.

Write as though you are having a conversation – because you are!

2. Write like a human, not a template

Let’s compare some template and human writing:

Template: Kindly find attached a copy of our latest catalogue for your reference and perusal.

Human: I’m attaching our latest catalogue, and I hope you find it interesting.

Template: Please contact us should you require any further clarifications.

Human: Please let us (or me) know if you have any questions.

Template: Thanks and Regards.

Human: Have a great weekend, or Many thanks, or Thanks for your help.

Let’s get rid of all the boring, template writing that’s spread like a virus all over the world.

Go through all your template emails, and transform them to human!

(And if you need help transforming your templates, please email me. It’s a service I am happy to provide – shirley@shirleytaylor.com)

3. Build relationships with your writing

Today’s world is fast-paced and high-tech. You need to come across as a human. Make your writing informal, friendly, warm, and add a personal touch. Good writing can help you build credibility, influence people, win more clients, and achieve your goals.

Help your readers get to know the real person behind the message. This will help make a big difference – to you, to your reader, and to the results you receive!

Part 2: Key Insights From The Future Leaders Summit

(If you missed the summit, good news! You can still get a VIP Pass here)

A week ago, I published my first article in my series of key insights from the Future Leaders Summit. This was an online event I hosted recently, in which thousands of attendees from around the world learned from 31 interviews that I conducted with bestselling authors and leadership experts.

In today’s article, I share some key insights from my interview with Mark Sanborn, a bestselling author, speaker and advisor to leaders. I have been a fan of Mark’s since I first read his book “The Fred Factor” many years ago. I found the story about Fred the postman quite fascinating. The ‘Fred philosophy’ is to realise that everyone can make a difference, and that passion in our work and life can turn the ordinary into extraordinary.

Mark has written many other books, and in our interview we discussed the concept from, “You Don’t Need A Title To Be A Leader”. It’s true that we usually think of leaders as those at the top of an organization. However, Mark got the inspiration to write this book after many leaders told him stories about employees who were doing great leadership work even though they had no official title.

You are a leader if you make a positive difference, if you make an impact on others, through what you do and how you do it.

So What Keeps People From Leading?

Mark shared that unfortunately many people in non-leadership roles don’t try to make an impact for various reasons:

1. Mistaking controlling for leading. Maybe they have worked for a leader who micromanaged and controlled the results that employees achieved.
2. Lack of awareness that they can lead. Some people are often unaware they can lead unless they accidentally stumble upon it.
3. Not sure how to lead. Some people want to make a difference but are not sure how.

How Can You Add Value?

Employees who consistently add value will be recognized as people who produce results. These are the people who will get noticed for all the right reasons, and they are the people most likely to be promoted into formal leadership positions.

Do you get noticed at work for the right reasons or the wrong reasons?

So how can you add value? Mark shared with me what he calls the ‘ROI Factor‘, which effective leaders use consistently. This is something we could all use, no matter what our title.

• The R is for relationships. Anytime you develop a better relationship with a vendor, customer, colleague or stakeholder, that’s a form of leadership.
• The O is for outcomes, which are the results you will achieve.
• The I is for improvement, making things a little bit better using innovation and creativity.

“It’s not the job you have, it’s you do the job you do that makes a difference.”

What Can YOU Do Today To Make A Difference?

When conducting training for an organization in Singapore last week, I was happy to see a poster in the pantry encouraging staff to “Show your appreciation today!” This reminded of my discussion with Mark about how anyone can make a difference, no matter what their title. Here are some simple examples of how you can make a difference today or any day:

• Congratulate a colleague on great work on a recent project.
• Stop by someone’s desk to say hi and ask if they had a great weekend.
• Give someone a Kit Kat chocolate bar with a little note “You deserve a break.”
• Offer to lend a hand if you notice someone needs help.
• Pick up cookies or cupcakes and leave in the pantry for everyone.

What will YOU do today to make a difference?

I hope you enjoyed learning some of the key insights from my interview with Mark Sanborn. I would love you to share your thoughts:

If you’re a leader, how do some of your team members make an impact?

If you’re not a leader, what do you do to make an impact?

Here’s to your success!

Shirley

By the way, if you missed the Future Leaders Summit, good news! You can still get a VIP Pass here.

PS: Please look out for my next article where I’ll be sharing some of the key insights from my interview with Sally Helgesen, who co-authored the book “How Women Rise”with Dr. Marshall Goldsmith. In our interview, Sally discusses the roadblocks that hold women back and how we can identify our blind spots.

Part 1: Key Insights From The Future Leaders Summit

(If you missed the summit, good news! You can still get a VIP Pass here)

After being a speaker and corporate trainer for three decades, I recently ventured into the virtual world to host my first online event – the Future Leaders Summit. With 31 amazing guest speakers, the Summit attracted thousands of attendees from almost 100 different countries. And wow! I certainly learned a lot! And now I would love to share some of my key insights with you.

What an honour it was to interview some of the top global leadership experts and bestselling authors as they shared cutting-edge information about the future of work, the changes and challenges we are all facing, and essential skills needed for the future. With such a diverse range of speakers and topics, my aim was to inspire existing leaders, new leaders, potential leaders, entrepreneurs and solopreneurs, in fact anyone who wants to grow professionally and personally.

In part 1, I’m sharing some key insights from my interview with Graeme Codrington, a renowned futurist, researcher and professional speaker. When I spoke to Graeme, it was easy to sense his great passion for understanding the intersection of people and technology.

Where will the 2020s take us?

In my discussion with Graeme, he shared fascinating information from his company’s research about where the 2020s may take us. He told me the key shift in mindset for us as humans is to look at the tasks that we want machines to do.

Here’s the good news: About 30 or 40% of what people do cannot be done by machines. And even better news: There are several key skills that computers are not going to develop any time soon.

Horizon Scanning

One of these key skills is what Graeme calls horizon scanning, or “what if” thinking. This is the ability to look at the future, to see what’s coming and to develop scenarios. A lot of people have the attitude of wanting to protect the systems that already exist. However, leaders today envisage a different future from one that appears inevitable given current systems.

Creativity And Intuition

Another key skill is the ability to come up with fresh ideas, and Graeme said this is still something that we don’t fully understand. There’s a science behind this, but it still relies a lot on gut feel, or intuition. In practical terms, this involves knowing when it’s appropriate to work “outside the rule book”. Human skills are needed in knowing when rules and procedures aren’t working, and then find a creative, intuitive solution.

Personal Intelligence

I like the term Personal Intelligence that Graeme uses. It’s an interesting twist on the standard term that we all know, Emotional Intelligence. The focus here is really about knowing yourself. This includes being conscious of your strengths and comfortable with your weaknesses. It’s about being very aware of what you’re good at and what you’re not good at, and acknowledging that’s why you have a team around you to compensate.

The best organizations in the 2020s will have leaders and people who are very in tune and comfortable with who they are.

I wasn’t surprised that Graeme hit on the importance of knowing ourselves as leaders and recognizing that we have a team around us, because this is something that many of my Summit guests talked about too. So do look out for part 2 when I’ll be sharing some of the key insights from my interview with Mark Sanborn, who is passionate about sharing that we don’t need a title to be a leader.

I hope you enjoyed learning some of the key insights from my interview with Graeme Codrington. I would love you to share your thoughts about some of the key skills you feel will be essential for us to future-proof our careers in our automation age.

Here’s to your success!

Shirley

By the way, if you missed the summit, good news! You can still get a VIP Pass here.

If you’ve seen any of my articles recently, you’ll know I love sharing my passion about the importance of our writing skills, particularly in emails. You may remember my recent article Don’t Write Like A Robot. Make A Human Difference. Well, something happened recently that made me think I may have to eat my words.

A friend I haven’t spoken to for ages reached out to me on Facebook messenger saying she would love a Zoom chat to discuss a potential collaboration. She said her assistant Clara would be in touch to schedule this. Here’s the email I received:

I replied to Clara, and very quickly received this response:

Closer to the meeting time, I realised I’d double-booked myself, so I wrote to Clara apologising and suggesting some alternative dates. Clara’s instant reply was:

When I eventually spoke to Gina, she shocked me when she told me that Clara is a robot. I’m rarely speechless, but this knocked me for six. My email conversations with Clara have continued, and I’ve shared the threads with some friends. None of us would ever guess she was not a real person.

So let’s face reality. This is just another example to show that AI is not just the future. It is here and now! Clara’s emails sound just like a real human. In fact, Clara’s emails are better than many emails I read from real humans.

Clara’s emails are simple, brief and friendly. Her language is natural and conversational. She uses short, clear sentences and everyday words. In her emails, I can hear the human voice, and I can feel the human touch.

This doesn’t worry me at all. But it might worry you. If you or your colleagues are still using outdated, long-winded jargon, passive voice and redundant phrases, there’s a lot we can learn from Clara.

So much for me saying, “Don’t write like a robot. Make a human difference”. I think I need to turn that around. Perhaps my job now is to teach people how to write like robots?

Clara’s emails make a real human difference. What about yours?

I’d love your thoughts. Please drop me a note at shirley@sttstraining.com.

It’s another day at work and you are busy going through your inbox. You open yet another email that looks like a chaotic, muddled-up mess. It looks so bad, you let out a sigh. Then when you do bring yourself to read it, the message is confusing, long-winded, repetitive, wandering all over the place.

Sound familiar?

You know the type of message I’m talking about:

• The message goes on and on… and on.
• There’s very little white space on the screen.
• It seems like a non-stop wall of words and more words.
• The message jumps around from topic to topic.
• The writer says the same things in different places.
• You can’t figure out what reply the writer is wanting.

We collectively send almost 300 billion emails every day. Wouldn’t you think writers would make sure their messages are clear, concise, understandable, and with clear action stated?

But no, the issues persist. As a result, there’s a lot of ‘email ping-pong’ happening in inboxes all over the world. You send a reply querying a message, they reply answering your queries but they miss out a couple of points, you can’t figure it out so you reply again. Ping-pong… ding-dong!!

How many of us are losing time reading emails, trying to decipher messages, missing key information, and wasting time?

Sadly, good communication skills are often overlooked when it comes to writing emails. Many people who would never send out a corporate memo, letter or report without proper care are regularly sending out poorly-written emails.

Why is this?

Just like any other form of communication in business, an email message should be clear, concise, understandable, and, yes, grammatically correct.

So, what’s the best way to ensure you compose well-organised email messages? Follow my four-point plan! It’s so easy, and it works! Here’s a very short extract from my online program High Impact Business Writing, in which I talk about each of the four sections.

Stop thinking about yourself and what you want to say. Think about your reader, and what they need to hear! When you take some time to think about your message and how to structure it effectively, you might save yourself some time, avaoid repetition and misunderstanding, and you’ll help us all to cut down on email ping-pong!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this important topic. I’ve put this up as an article on LinkedIn. Please join the discussion by leaving a comment. How can we stop this?

Here’s to less ping-pong and more effective emails!

Many schools, starting as early as kindergartens all the way to tertiary institutions, are beginning to place more emphasis on group projects within their curriculum.

Working in a group teaches you more than just the subject at hand – you get to refine your communication skills as you work closely with the others in your group. And as with every group, there is bound to be friction or conflict, and this can of course severely affect the eventual outcome of the project. The key to success is in how you deal with the situation.

This is where Positive Conflict Management is useful.

Especially in a business setting, whether you’re an executive or a manager, it’s really important to learn how to manage challenges amicably, . It’s quite likely that you’ll be working with these people for a while, and your business could take a hit if you don’t learn to collaborate and work well together.

Here are my main three pointers for Positive Conflict Management.

1. Focus on the problem at hand

It’s very easy for things to get out of hand when you encounter a problem or a conflict. People get caught up with the mistakes made, emotions run high and tempers flair, but the most important thing is to keep your cool. Getting angry and raising your voice won’t solve anything.

Instead, shift your focus on the problem at hand and look at the bigger picture. The objective would be to uncover the root cause of the problem, and getting to a solution that best rectifies the situation, without any unnecessary finger pointing.

Once the problem is fixed, the managers in your business can then address the issue with the intention of letting everyone learn from such mistakes.

2. Separate the issue from the person you’re speaking to

One common mistake people tend to make when embroiled in a conflict is to deviate from the situation at hand and start attacking the other members of their team. This does not benefit anyone, and neither does it solve any problems.

To manage a conflict positively, all members must learn to compartmentalise and separate the issue from the people they are speaking to. A member of the team could have caused the problem, but in most cases, it is probably purely the result of a simple mistake that was surely not intentional.

Once we learn to isolate issues rather than pin them on a long list of problems we have with a particular team member, then we can start to move forward and progress positively.

3. Be mindful of your words

Your words can have a very strong impact on the situation and on others listening around you. As a business trainer, I always emphasise the importance of structuring your thoughts and phrasing your sentences properly, so as to bring about a more positive desired outcome.

There may be many hurtful words ready to slip off the tip of your tongue, but it is more important to think about the future. Your words and actions could affect the atmosphere in your office setting, or damage relationships between business partners.

So think carefully before you say anything or offer input to the discussion. Use positive words and intonations instead of negative ones, and soon enough you’ll find that your outlook on the situation will have improved as well.

Learning to manage and deal with conflict positively can greatly improve the company culture and overall performance of your business. Giving in to our emotions doesn’t help, and neither does finger pointing at people with hurtful accusations or negative comments. Instead, learn to take a step back and look at the bigger picture at hand, taking full grasp of the problem before offering a solution. Isolate the problem rather than tag it to a particular partner’s mistakes, and be mindful of your words.

This way, you’ll find that solving problems and conflicts in your company will become a breeze, having nailed conflict management as yet another positive skill under your belt.

If you want to join one of the many leaders learning effective business communication, check out my online virtual training program – www.ShirleyTaylorVT.com. I will work with you step-by-step to help you craft clear, concise messages that build great relationships and achieve better results.

We all hear the old saying that we should ‘work smarter, not harder’, but how many of us actually abide by this? It’s easier said than done, isn’t it? Experts actually say the key to working smart is to be more effective, not necessarily more efficient. Efficiency is doing the job right. Effectiveness, on the other hand, is doing the right job! Think about that! Here are my ten top tips for managing your time more effectively:

1. Figure out when you are at your peak

I know I work better from 9am to noon, so that’s when I try to do my most important tasks. Figure out when you are at your prime and plan carefully around this.

2. Turn off your e-mail notifier

Do you really need the pop-up or ‘ding’ every few minutes? Try turning off your e-mail notifier when you need to concentrate on an important project, then you really can focus.

3. Expect the unexpected

Block out some planning time. Everyone needs some time for thinking, so try to build in some flexibility into your daily routines.

4. Say NO occasionally

Sometimes we may have to be assertive and say ‘no’ if something is not urgent or a priority. Saying no courteously may be seen as a strength rather than a weakness.

5. Set priorities

Categorise tasks according to priority, for example: 1 = The task is urgent and important 2 = It’s important but not urgent 3 = It’s urgent but not important 4 = Its not urgent and not important

6. Stay focused in meetings

How many meetings have you attended where people go off at tangents? It helps to be clear about the agenda before meetings, and make sure everyone knows what the objectives are. This will help you stay focused and keep the discussion heading in the right direction.

7. Clear out your clutter

I know I can’t work effectively if my desk is a mess with lots of paperwork everywhere. So once in a while I have a good clearing and sorting session, and I clear out the clutter on my desk, trays, drawers and files. It’s amazing how much better I always feel once the clutter is gone!

8. Remember to take a break

We all tend to make more mistakes when we are tired or stressed, so learn to recognise the symptoms when you are flagging and take a break from your work. Yes Mom, I hear you… this is something I’m not so good at!

9. Don’t procrastinate

Tackle what’s right now in the present and don’t let procrastination get in the way. It’s amazing how great it feels when you can tick off those items on your to-do list!

10. Adopt a positive attitude

Keep your mindset positive. See solutions instead of problems. See positives instead of negatives. Do your tasks with a happy heart, and smile!