How to Assign Tasks in Emails + Templates

Many business owners, managers, teachers and department heads will find that they have to send emails to ask someone to do a task. While it's easy to just fire off a quick email to get a task off your plate, many times this can backfire. (Many of you may have experienced that!)

It's important to think through what you need to include in an email that is giving someone a task before sending it.

Before we give you a few tips about how to send a task over email, let's look at a couple of what not to do!

What NOT to Do Example 1

“Hi Fred,

Drop whatever you are doing. We have a new priority, start working on the new presentation. We need it asap.

Thanks,
Betty"

What NOT to Do Example 2

“Hi team,

I require the new prototype within the next few weeks.

Thanks,
Betty"

How to Correctly Email to Assign a Task

Now, let's go over why these are not the type of emails you want to send to your team to assign a task.

While both of the emails above are short, they dramatically fail to provide any specific instructions that would be required to carry out the task. They also fail to provide a clear due date for the task or project.

In the second email, you will notice that it is addressing an entire team, without specific instructions to any specific team members, so it's unclear who is responsible for doing what.

Writing an email to assign tasks can be a bit tricky because it is easy to forget critical information or not clearly communicate expectations.

Below, we will go over some best practices for writing emails that assign tasks so that you can be clear and effective. T

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Here are some basic guidelines to follow when writing emails to assign tasks:

1. Be Concise

The reason you're delegating a task is to save time. While you will want to include all the information needed to complete the task, you don't need to give irrelevant details. (We've all gotten those emails that are 12 paragraphs too long! Don't send one of those!) Simply explain what the task is, how it needs to be done, when it needs to be complete, and how.

2. Specify Who is Responsible

When addressing a group of people in an email, be specific about who's responsible for which task and which other team members are expected to contribute. If you leave it up to the whole group to get the job done, you may trigger the "bystander effect", where everyone assumes someone else is going to do it, and the task goes unfinished.

3. Give Clear & Specific Instructions

Set clear expectations. Don’t leave it up to the other person to decide what you are asking them to do.

One way to ensure you've given all the information they may need is to ask yourself, (if you didn't know what the task was) would you have all the information you needed to do an excellent and complete job. Once you can say yes, you've given thorough instructions.

4. Set a Clear Deadline

Always provide a due date for when the task should be complete. If you don’t, you run the risk of missing important deadlines or having to repeatedly follow up on a task that you needed to be done by a certain date.

General Email Template to Assign a Task

Email Template to Delegate Tasks While You are Out of the Office

Email Template to Assign a Specific Type of Task

Email Template to Help Create a Presentation

Email Template for a Task with a Deadline

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