Hot take: my boss told me to stop using bullet points in emails and I fought it for a month

I used to put everything in bullet lists - tasks, updates, even meeting notes - but my boss said it made me sound like a robot and people scanned past the details. She wanted full sentences with a little story at the start, and after trying it for two weeks, I actually got more replies and fewer follow-up questions. So which is better for communication, bullet points or paragraphs, and has anyone else had to change a writing habit based on feedback?

2 comments

2 Comments

elliot4525d ago

people scanned past the details" - that's actually the whole point for me though. bullet points are meant to be scanned fast, not read deep. sounds like your boss wanted you to slow people down and make em actually absorb the info. i had a similar thing where i had to stop using abbreviations in work chat because nobody knew what i meant lol. sometimes you gotta match the vibe of the person reading it, not just what's easiest for you to write.

laura_black3124d ago

@elliot45 slow intake is the opposite of helpful when the whole point of bullets is quick decisions, not lectures.