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How to Properly Down-edit Your Emails

Posted on Last Updated: Reading Time: 3 minutes
Email etiquette and down-editing your email responses.

Most onliners have never heard of down-editing. Yet, Down-editing your email is a necessary skill that adds to clarity in your communications and helps avoid misunderstandings.

In addition, responding point by point to those who email you also shows consideration for their time and your command of technology. It is a skill that is developed over time – by doing.

Clarity in Your Communications

By editing your email correctly, you avoid misunderstanding by replying point-by-point. In addition, you leave no room for surmising because the other side knows what portion of their email your response applies to.

Since most onliners are anemic in this area – you will shine by making these simple efforts! (Plus, it will help you to shine in your professional email communications.)

The first thing to remember is never just to hit Reply and start typing. This is known as top-posting and is not conducive to clarity in your communications.

Once you hit Reply and type a courteous greeting, you should remove any part of the email you are responding to that is unnecessary to the clarity of the ongoing conversation. This includes email headers (all that server and routing info at the top of some emails) and signature files.

Down-editing Tips

Here are some additional quick tips to help you on your way!

  • The best way to edit correctly is to hold your left mouse button down, drag it over the text you want to remove, and then hit delete.
  • Hit your enter key twice to put a line space between where you will type your response and the text you are replying to above. Then type your comments as it relates to the content above.
  • Continue to do the same as the email continues. Finally, remove what doesn’t matter, leave what does, hit enter twice, and type your reply.
  • When I have removed a good bit of text, I type “(snip)” after a substantial deletion. This lets the other party know that I read that paragraph or portion of the text but that either I have no comments specifically related to that area of the email or that none are required.
  • Email becomes very difficult to follow when you start adding all the back and forth >>>>s. At that point, the direction of the conversation probably doesn’t match the original SUBJECT: Make a habit of starting a new email and updating the SUBJECT: when this happens. This helps to avoid misunderstandings due to all the back and forth.

Integrating these steps when replying to email can help keep your conversations on track and more accessible for all to read. Besides, by setting a good example, others can learn from you, which is how most online learn new things.

In my book, that’s as good a reason as any to get into the habit of down-editing your emails. Why not start today?

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