Underused Techniques for Effective Emails

Emails are a hidden productivity drain for engineers who spend hours deciphering noisy threads. The core insight is that every email should follow the BLUF (bottom line up front) principle, delivering the most important information first and keeping the message clear, relevant, efficient, and succinct. By treating an email like an inverted pyramid, the reader gets the key takeaway without wading through anecdotes or irrelevant details.

The article demonstrates this with a before-and-after example of a backup failure notice. The original message buries the critical fact that all backups are lost in a story about a dog and a data center visit. The revised version leads with a one-line TL;DR and presents the technical details next, making the urgent issue instantly visible and reducing the risk of missed information.

It also recommends using the Markdown Here extension to format code snippets and headings directly in email clients, turning raw text into readable, syntax-highlighted content without copy-pasting. This simple tool lets developers maintain the clarity of their code while communicating, which is especially valuable in cross-team discussions.

Thread bloat is tackled by actively splitting conversations when the scope changes and curating recipients. By updating subject lines, moving unrelated parties to BCC, and adding only those who need the new context, leaders can prevent needless context switches and keep the signal-to-noise ratio high.

Finally, the piece advises breaking long emails into short paragraphs with descriptive headings, mirroring a slide deck. This structure helps readers scan for the parts that matter to them, whether they are engineers, product managers, or ops staff, and ensures the message stays focused and actionable.