How to write email with military precision

In the military, a poorly formatted email may be the difference between mission accomplished and mission failure. During my active duty service, I learned how to structure emails to maximize a mission’s chances for success. I have applied these lessons to emails that I write for my corporate job, and my missives have consequently become crisper and cleaner, eliciting quicker and higher-quality responses from colleagues and clients. Here are three tips on how to format emails with military precision.

1. SUBJECTS WITH KEYWORDS: The first thing that your email recipient sees is your name and subject line, so it’s critical that the subject clearly states the purpose of the email. Military personnel use keywords that characterize the nature of the email in the subject. Some of these keywords include:

ACTION: Compulsory for the recipient to take some action

SIGN: Requires the signature of the recipient

INFO: For informational purposes only, no response or action required

DECISION: Requires a decision by the recipient

REQUEST: Seeks permission or approval by the recipient

COORD: Coordination by or with the recipient is needed

2. BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT: U.S. military professionals lead their emails with a short, staccato statement known as the “BLUF.” It declares the purpose of the email and action required. The BLUF should quickly answer who, what, where, when and why. For my corporate job, I lead with “Bottom Line” in bold at the start of my notes.

3. BE ECONOMICAL: Military personnel know that short emails are more effective than long ones, so they try to fit all content in one pane, so the recipient doesn’t have to scroll. If an email requires more explanation, list background information after the BLUF as bullet points so that recipients can quickly grasp your message.

Lastly, to prevent clogging inboxes, military professionals link to attachments on a website rather than attaching files. This will ensure that the recipient has security clearance on the file and sees its most recent version.

Here is an email example for corporate use that uses keywords in the subject, a bottom line and background bullets:

Subject: INFO — Meeting Change

Shannon,

Bottom Line: We scheduled the weekly update meeting for Thursday at 2 p.m. to accommodate the CFO’s schedule.

Background:

— We searched for other available times, but this is the only time that works, and it’s important that you are on the call, so that you can address your profit and loss.

— CFO will be in Boston on Thursday meeting with the management committee.

— He wants to review the financial report that can be found here (insert link) before the call.

By adopting military email etiquette, you will introduce clarity to your correspondence and that of your colleagues and clients.