The Details That Grab Your Reader's Attention

When we're crafting an email or presentation, sometimes we get caught up in providing every detail when it’s not necessary, at least not at that particular moment. Of course we want to be helpful, but too much detail at the wrong time can lead to confusion. Not every situation is going to be the same, so when giving information to others, here are some helpful things to consider when crafting a message that's engaging and interesting:

1. Why is it compelling? When you’re communicating with someone, lead with what’s going to grab their attention. Suppose you’re going to your manager with an idea. Begin by telling them the ways it will benefit the team or the company. Once you’ve used that hook and piqued their interest, then you can get into the details of how it will benefit everyone and what will need to happen in order to execute your idea. Which leads to the next step.
2. What do they need to know? What information do they need about what you’re telling them? You want to be clear and concise. At a high level you just let them know what you're proposing, what your topic is and what you want to discuss. It's not how it's going to be done, it's not the rest of the details. It's just a description of what it is.
3. How will it be accomplished? This is particularly important if there’s a few steps to carrying out what you’re proposing. If communicating over email, bullet points can be used so that each step is clear for the reader. This is where you can start to gauge their interest, because if you’ve gotten this far, they likely are intrigued by your idea but need to know more. Which is where the last step comes into play.
4. What questions could they have? Try to anticipate what areas of your proposal might require more detail. What additional information do they require? It's an important element because people need to ask questions to fit the information that you've given to them. If talking in-person, ask open-ended questions like, “what questions do you have?” or, “what are your thoughts?” This allows them to fully explain their thoughts.

 

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These tips can be used whether communicating in person or through email, but there are some additional things to add here when using email. In person, you have the benefit of paying attention to their tone and body language, and the conversation is usually more free-flowing. In an email, you’ll want to craft your message a little differently.

Grabbing Your Reader's Attention Through Email

• Get to the point early, ideally in the first paragraph. Start at the end and work backwards. Usually, this is the overall goal of your proposal. Once you’ve given them this, then you can start to give more details about what your idea is and all the steps necessary to accomplish it.
• Write shorter paragraphs and sentences. Less is definitely more when it comes to written communication. Avoid the run-on sentence, as it's not clear and it requires people to read it again to understand it. Sentences should be somewhere between eight and ten words, and paragraphs should be no more than four sentences.  
• Make it easy to skim. This is where it’s most helpful to use the bullet points mentioned earlier. You can also make some words bold, or use italics to highlight the critical information. Try your best to make it easy for the other person to digest your message in a clear way.
• Make your purpose clear throughout your message. So, one idea per paragraph that ties to your subject. Don't run off on a tangent, and if you have something else to discuss that's not related, then save it for another time.
• Give them a call to action. Make it easy for them to know what you want them to do. Don't make them guess, tell them what you want to happen.

You know your coworkers and your managers. Use these tips to help you appeal to them personally, and you'll be more likely to get what you're asking for.

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