Game Changing Email – 8 Tactics to Messages that Matter

Approx 6 min read.

Not too long ago, I asked my dad if he read email communications from corporate. His immediate answer? No. He’s a program/project manager on a government contract in Alaska. Given I’m the CEO of a government contracting group, I figured his answer would be relevant and honest. Nothing surprised me about his answer. Program managers, project managers, and operations people, in general, are focused on the job. What that means is that if something isn’t relevant to them to get the job done, then they aren’t going to spend the time messing with it. Too often, corporate folks get in the way more than they help. Keeping that in mind, I’ve been cautious about sending out too many email blasts to the broader team. I’m reluctant for two main reasons: 1. I don’t want to steal their productive time. 2. As much as we’d like to think that people throughout the company have a burning desire to hear us ramble on, they do not. 

I read that 70% of employees don’t engage with corporate-driven emails. Over 60% simply ignore them. And, only one in three employees feel like leadership effectively communicates with the broader group.¹ My dad is obviously in the larger majority that has little interest, time, or reason to engage with corporate email communication. Why is that so? 

Before we get to that answer, let’s define written communication and the types of emails I am talking about. On any given day, we get hundreds of emails. In the morning, most of us find ourselves sifting through the junk and deleting the non-relevant stuff. Employees engage most with specific emails focused on our daily tasks or larger objectives. We give more attention to the day-to-day interactions between immediate supervisors, peers/co-workers, and customers. The same is true about emails with a direct impact on pay and benefits, work schedules, etc. Within that spectrum, or category of emails, there are a host of rules and tips to communicate effectively. For example, keep the emails shorter than you think, focused, do a quick scrub for accuracy, and remember, everything in an email could be discoverable. There’s certainly more to consider. Basic, day-to-day, email can have a dedicated post for sure. 

This post focuses more on communicating via email as an executive to the group as part of the larger employee engagement strategy. With all the clutter and junk we get in our inbox, communications from corporate have stiff competition. These emails may be a level above spam in the morning purge, but often do not make it in front of the day-to-day interactions directly relevant to people’s daily work function. Practicality is a big reason why. Our teams only have so many hours in the day to get done what they need to get done. Spending 10 minutes going through a corporate email very often doesn’t help them accomplish their task is not a high priority. Yet, ironically, a high percentage of employees do not feel informed about what’s going on in the broader business. 

I encountered this a couple of years ago reading through our surveys. (Btw, if you send them out, read them and do something!) A higher percentage of employees than I expected came back saying they wanted to know more about the broader vision and strategic path of the company. In response, we developed a broader communications plan specifically tied to employee engagement. The plan included email communication, video communications, newsletters, annual impact reports, coffee talks, and more. This way if people liked the emails, they could read them. If they preferred video, they could watch them. Emails, if done correctly, can be an effective tool in your employee engagement strategy, but leaders, we must do better. A huge reason so many, like my dad in his company, refuse to read corporate emails is because they can be stiff, out of touch, pretentious, and lack any sort of real connection. 

A good team engagement and communication strategy has to go beyond occasional group emails. Your emails are more effective when you reinforce and align with other communication methods, plans, and strategies – be it videos, newsletters, etc. Each method should align and reinforce the messaging. Something I’ve experienced and want to pass it on to you is the idea that there is power in small moments. There can be power in one phone call you mustered up the courage to make. We can discover life-changing moments in one small connection. And lastly, stepping out at the cost of a little comfort and writing a personally connective email is part of a larger game-changing strategy of team engagement. If you utilize these communication tips, you will have better engagement with your team and capture their attention and interest. 

8 Considerations for Meaningful Emails

Tie it to Something That Matters: I often use holidays or major events to determine when I send a mass email out. For example, during the pandemic, I sent one at the beginning. And then again when any major HR changes would be or could be occurring. I also send out email blasts for holidays. For example, occasions like Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving/Christmas, and especially the New Year. New Years’ is a great time to do a nice year-end thank you. I found that tying to holidays sparks more interest and engagement from the team vs. a monthly “hello.” 

A Relevant Story/Anecdote: In a previous post, I discussed the power of storytelling. Don’t miss out on capturing your audience’s attention by neglecting stories. Regardless of the industry, sharing stories is powerful. Weave in our values, culture, and inspirational calls into stories at every opportunity. 

One thing I’ll often do is put a story in my email about the occasion of the email. For example, if I’m emailing on Labor Day, I like to add a story about Labor Day. I never expect responses, but often, these are what generate the responses that do come in. “I never knew that about Labor Day.” “I appreciate you bringing in interesting history in your messages.” One reason so many corporate emails aren’t read by folks like my dad is that we too often fail to engage on a meaningful level with our audience. To increase that engagement, use stories in your email as a powerful and meaningful tool of engagement. 

Use Grammarly/A Proofreader: Goes without saying. You can only catch so many errors on your own. Use a tool such as Grammarly, or enlist the help of a writer in the organization to review before it goes to the group. My emails go to around 2000 people. Using are instead of our, is embarrassing. And we do it all the time! Too many errors detract from the message.

Insights: People want to know what’s going on. They just don’t want to be bored stiff hearing about it. Try to add interesting insights into how the company is doing, big projects on-going, or events that took place that the greater workforce might not know about. You want the team to feel a sense of ownership and pride. 

Alignment: Make certain your group emails align with the broader engagement strategy. If culture is a major push in the organization, then tie in cultural expectations and recognition for people that embody that behavior. If remote work is a hot topic, align your messaging to the policy and remote work strategies that come from HR, video series, etc. 

Make it Somewhat Personal: Do NOT make it about you. Keep it about them. However, don’t be afraid of sharing a personal side of yourself especially if it inspires, motivates, or is a good example of values to the team. Where you grew up. An anecdote about your family. You are a CEO (or aspiring). They know that. But do they know you? So in what takes a little balance and art, make it about them, but share a little of you. Our goal, remember, is connection. How many people do you connect with that you don’t know? 

Sincere Praise: Don’t flatter. Teams see right through that. When a leader can step back and genuinely take interest in the hard work, commitment, and skillful execution performed every day, they can better convey that appreciation through the written word. People aren’t hearing enough encouragement from leadership. Business moves so fast. Organizations get to a point and at times, don’t even know how they got there. It’s good to remember and show appreciation for people along the way. A natural desire of most humans is to feel appreciated. Please, don’t neglect that natural desire of your team members. 

Emotional Connection: Last week I covered emotional intelligence and we discussed how emotions were a fact of life. I don’t propose that every email you send is an emotional journey. Nor do I suggest the entirety of the email is a soap opera. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. However, weaving in emotion, drama, and power can be effective in capturing the heart or imagination of the team. And if the intention of doing so is to better their lives in some way, then it is ok to show some vulnerability. I think our goal as leaders should be to be a massive contributor to the success of other people. Sometimes that takes vulnerability, connection, and showing a little emotion.

Not long ago, in a mini-speech, I commented that at times we overlook the potential of small opportunities to be game-changing moments. You just never know when that single phone call to a customer or partner can change everything. A simple reach out to the community can spark a new relationship that could lead to an opportunity you never considered possible. The same concept can be said about an email. Sure, you might feel a little more vulnerable opening some of these doors. And we all second guess emails that include personal stories or emotional sentiments. The cost of sending the email is often your comfort. Press on. If you change one life or reach even one person, isn’t it worth it? That’s a leave no doubt mindset. A go all-in perspective. A leader might write 10 emails, maybe 100, before one is read in earnest but that one could change everything. Be open-minded to the impossible. Your people deserve it.

¹ Jouany , Valene, and Kristina Martic . “18 Leadership Communication Trends to Look For in 2021.” The Employee Communications and Advocacy Blog, 5 Jan. 2021, blog.smarp.com/18-leadership-communication-trends-to-look-for-in-2020.