When our youngest son was in college, I realized he wasn't reading all the emails he should have been reading. A few times we almost missed paying some fees he had due for college, which could have made him miss some deadlines for school.

You see, Nate was a busy college student. He was consumed with schoolwork, church activities and a host of social activities. If you wanted to lose his attention quickly, you sent him a really long email.

And, I don't think it's just my son. I see it as a trend among a younger generation. They don't read all the emails they receive. I talked to one Millennial who said if his inbox gets too full, he just deletes a bunch of emails—without reading any of them. He figures they'll text or call if they need something quickly—or send another email.

I hear some people my age—the age who received some of the first emails long after we were adults—say that's rude. Inconsiderate. Uncaring. Unprofessional.

And yet I feel a certain kindred spirit with our younger generation.

I can't complain, especially because of my son, because he's wired like me. He is always busy doing something, hates unproductive time and some emails—if they tend to ramble—simply don't capture his attention. I realize it's ultimately our problem, not the sender's, but to us it almost seems a waste of time to process an email which could have been written with the same information in a much shorter form.

Just being honest. I don't read all the long emails I need to read. At least not in their entirety. Sometimes I miss details because the email was too long to process or was so poorly written. I never check my Spam folder. I quickly divert emails to other people if I think I'm not the right recipient. And, an email in all caps—please no.

That's my honesty. And, for someone who holds responsiveness to such a high value, it bothers me not to thoroughly read and respond to each one. It seems, however, I constantly get a ton of chapter-length emails. Over the years, the volume of email keeps growing, yet my time to focus on them hasn't. It has prompted me to think through what I believe helps an email get read. I certainly want my emails read. If I'm sending it, I must believe it's important enough for someone to take time to read it.

If you want to ensure I read your email and maybe other busy people—people like me who receive literally several hundred emails a day—I want to share some suggestions. Please understand, I'm being brutally honest here trying to help. I realize some who read every line of every email they receive can't understand. But everyone is not like you. Yet, I assume you want your email read also.

7 Ways to Better Ensure Your Email Gets Read

Make sure your name is clearly listed in the "from" line.

I am more likely to read an email from an individual than I am an organization or a group. I know it's probably not fair, but if it's coming from an organization, I assume it applies more to the masses than to me personally. If I'm covered up with emails, I'll pay more attention to the ones that are from a person rather than an institution.

Make the recipient—me.

I'm less likely to read an email addressed to a group, even if the group is summarized by your name. I'm okay with being in the BCC line for a hidden group list, but if I see a group of 20+ addresses in the "To" line, I'm probably assuming it's not as important I read it.

Write a great subject heading.

"Hey" is probably not a great one. The subject line needs to capture the reader's attention enough to make them want to open the email—and read it. Give me some clue the general purpose of the email and what I can expect to learn from it. And, a forwarded message rarely grabs my attention—especially if FWD is in the subject line.

Get started immediately with the main idea.

Similar to the rules of writing a letter, you should instantly begin dealing with the subject of the email. If you're inviting me to something, say that immediately. If you have a suggestion, tell me you do. You can explain later, but you need to hook the reader into the email early.

Give pertinent details, but don't write a book

Please—don't send an email just to ask me to call you. That's so unfair that I have to wonder what you want. Tell me the basics in the email. Just don't tell me the basics and everything else you ever thought about the basics—plus three stories to go along with it. Again, the length of an email is critical to ensure it gets read. I often suggest people write bullet points. Sometimes they help make the email easier to read.

Another way, especially where the email has to be longer. is to have two sections. The first section has "just the facts" section at the top with bullet points of pertinent facts, followed by a longer section for those who may want to read more detailed explanations. The person can read all they have to know in a couple minutes and then scan down to learn more details about items about which they are interested.

Finally, I especially appreciate if the absolute most pertinent information—such as dates, times or the one single question or point you're making —is highlighted or made bold in the email.

Read before sending.

Before pressing send, read the email aloud. Listen for how it sounds. Email can be terribly misunderstood, and this helps. Also, look at the overall length of the email. Would you read it? Or, would the length encourage you to put it aside for a later read—or skip it altogether? Remember many —maybe most—may read it on a smartphone, and the email will appear even longer.

Give the option to ask questions.

Close your email with the opportunity to ask questions if the reader wants more details or information. Even better—if appropriate—provide links in your email to websites or pages with additional information.

The more emails we send and receive, the more important it becomes that we write better emails. Writing emails which are to the point and concise ensures a greater chance of them being read. I would assume this would be a goal if we are going to take the time to send one.

Now your turn to be honest. When you receive a really long email, how do you respond?

What would you add to my list? What ideas do you have for writing emails that get read?

Ron Edmondson is the CEO of Leadership Network. Previously, he was a pastor, revitalizing two churches and planting two churches. He loves assisting pastors and those in ministry think through leadership, strategy and life.

This article originally appeared at ronedmondson.com.

Get Spirit-filled content delivered right to your inbox! Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Dr. Mark Rutland's

National Institute of Christian Leadership (NICL)

The NICL is one of the top leadership training programs in the U.S. taught by Dr. Mark Rutland. If you're the type of leader that likes to have total control over every aspect of your ministry and your future success, the NICL is right for you!

FREE NICL MINI-COURSE - Enroll for 3-hours of training from Dr. Rutland's full leadership course. Experience the NICL and decide if this training is right for you and your team.

The NICL Online is an option for any leader with time or schedule constraints. It's also for leaders who want to expedite their training to receive advanced standing for Master Level credit hours. Work through Dr. Rutland's full training from the comfort of your home or ministry at your pace. Learn more about NICL Online. Learn more about NICL Online.