Despite multiple alternatives, email remains one of the most important communication tools available. It just works and everyone knows how to use it.
However, when compared to Slack or Teams messaging, email can feel slower. The back and forth nature of email usually has more gaps in the conversation.
One way to reduce the gaps is to anticipate the recipient’s answer and include your response in the initial email.
For example, instead of just writing, “When are you available for a meeting?”, you could provide at least two times when you’re available. This works well when one time is in the morning and the other is in the afternoon. “I’m available on Monday at 10am or Tuesday at 2pm. Which is better for you?”.
Note: 9am and 1pm are generally bad times, as people may still be catching up on emails or may still have food in their mouths.
Another example, asking a technical architect, “What do you think of using a record-triggered flow instead of apex?”. You could also include, “If you think using a flow is better, checkout this related article. If you prefer apex, tell me why.”
The takeaway
Anticipating answers can help speed up email conversations by essentially combining two emails into one.