144.4 Billion Messages Are Sent Every Minute. Here Are Four Simple Tips To Get Your Messages Read.

People are overwhelmed with written communication, which is why most messages go unread.

But the problem isn’t the volume of messages; it’s the content. Messaging is easy, so people write something and click send with little thought.

I ignore most of my work messages for this reason:

I’m selfish.

Time is scarce, and deciphering other people’s messages isn’t my responsibility. Not is it yours or anybody else’s.

Business writing is an art and science, but companies fail to teach their team members how to communicate in written form.

The art is learning how to craft messages that get acted upon.

The science is knowing why it matters to write in a certain way; the psychology.

But:

Let’s first clear something up; written versus verbal communication.

Messages are not a suitable medium for complex conversations.

Status updates, recaps, and simple requests are best delivered via messages. People need to pick up the phone or schedule a video meeting for complex conversations. I know that’s…