Concept
Skimmable writing
Skimmable writing is written for the reader you actually have, who reads on a phone between meetings, top to bottom, looking for what this means for them and what they must do: the subject line carries the message, the first line carries the ask, and headers and bold guide the eye.
The Heaths' principles were written for ideas meant to be remembered; a work message has the humbler goal of being understood and acted on by someone who will not read it. That reader skims, so the writing is structured for the skim. The subject line says what the message is, not 'Update'. The first sentence is the answer or the ask. Paragraphs are short and each topic has a header. Bold is reserved for the one thing that must not be missed, and lists are used only when the items are parallel. Before sending, the two-minute test: read it as the busiest person on the list, on a phone, and check they can tell what, from whom, by when and why without reading it all.
A real-life example
A designer's 600-word message with three questions spread through it gets two replies to the first question and none to the third. Resent with the decision in the subject line, the recommendation in line one and three short headers, it is answered by all four stakeholders in two days.
How to use it
- 1Put the message in the subject line and the ask in the first sentence.
- 2One header per topic, bold on the one thing that must not be missed.
- 3Read it on a phone as the busiest person on the list before you send.