It’s all right to use contractions and to write the way you speak, but don’t be too casual. Email lies somewhere between the casualness of a conversation and the formality of a letter, so it’s important to find that happy medium. What does it take to “action a different outcome” or do some “blue sky thinking?” ![]() But abbreviation- and jargon-laden language will exclude your readers from your select club, leaving them wondering what you mean. And with so many people thinking in the 140-character limit of tweets, contractions and slang are becoming even more widespread. The immediacy of emails makes it tempting to use abbreviations and short-forms. ![]() Overusing jargon, short forms, and abbreviations Remember, business emails are not intended to be tributes to James Joyce’s Ulysses. It’s difficult to read anything that is not properly punctuated, or for that matter, written in proper paragraphs. Just because emails can be dashed off quickly doesn’t mean you can throw away the normal rules of writing. The fix: Be ruthless about sentence length and punctuation. This problem is closely linked to rambling, and the email recipient’s reaction is similar: The recipient gives up on the message quickly, not reading it through, and consequently failing to absorb the key points. Long, run-on sentences containing too many ideas strung together with improper punctuation are confusing. In that case, you’re better off having a phone conversation or a face-to-face meeting. If a message needs to be longer, its contents are probably too complicated to be communicated over email. Keep business emails to the point-under four short paragraphs is optimal. “But it was in the email!” he or she says, aggrieved. Then, when you encounter the sender, he or she is genuinely surprised that you don’t know about some nugget of information that was buried in paragraph nine. Here’s what happens when you get a business email from a rambler: You read a quarter of the message, then leave it languishing in your inbox, fully intending to read the rest later. Being friendly and polite goes a long way in email communication, just as it does in personal business encounters. You don’t have to start with “Dear,” but you certainly should take time for “Hello,” and “Thank you.” You should always be to the point, but never brusque. Treat an email almost as you would a business letter written on company letterhead. Sending an email to employees or colleagues that begins with an impersonal phrase like “You have been identified,” or a brusque command such as “ACTION:” guarantees a grumpy rather than a cooperative response. ![]() Whether you’re making sure that a client project is on track or just telling the clown in your office who thinks pulling practical jokes is funny that it’s not, avoid these common email faux pas. There are worse and better ways to make sure your recipient understands your message and treats it with the attention you deserve. But even though you’re aware of the form’s limitations, achieving the appropriate tone in your email messaging can be challenging. The tone of your message can easily be misinterpreted, especially when you’re not close by to clarify what you mean. Better luck next time.” Anything to soften the blow!Įmail messaging is not just about what you communicate, but how you communicate it. Insurance companies and other businesses do have legal considerations to think of, but surely my provider could have at least mustered something like: “Dear Sandra, unfortunately the terms of your plan do not cover X, Y and Z. The bad news was delivered so bluntly that it took my breath away. The message reminded me of the Monopoly chance card: “Go directly to jail. I recently received a message from my health insurance provider that included the following terse statement: “Your plan does not cover your claim of $2000.00.” I’d been expecting a cheque reimbursing me for some of my costs. ![]() With email, Twitter, and texting dominating our conversations, messages are increasingly filled with impersonal phrases and brusque commands.īut in the business world, the words you choose can have significant impact, creating an unintended negative response if your missive is perceived as rude instead of just to-the-point. In an era of quick communications, it’s all too easy to be careless with word choices.
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