123rf.com: Sarah Maher
The team at Manta published a nice post earlier this year, “Breaking Bad Email Habits.”
Huh? Will anyone really benefit from counsel about writing better emails? We dash these electronic missives off every day, often on the spur of the moment. We address topics as non-serious as where to meet for lunch. But we also send out communications that carry the force of law, and we’ve even been known to incriminate ourselves.
This post concludes that we should take email seriously and, as a copywriter, I agree.
Manta recommends eliminating exclamation points, asking “Are you that truly excited or upset about what you’re saying?” I once injected exclamation points into much of what I wrote. My boss, usually the soul of indirection, was absolutely explicit in his prohibition. “Exclamations points,” he said genially, “have no place in business communications. They look silly.”
Don’t end a sentence with more than one question mark says Manta. More looks “condescending or annoyed.” Funny, I hadn’t thought much about multiple questions marks, until that piece of advice, but it’s right on the money.
To these directives, I add:
- Watch your spelling and grammar: You’re not off the hook because you’re using an iPhone. If your message is that long and complex, wait for a more opportune time to send it.
- Watch your thinking: Nothing reveals cloudy reasoning faster than a poorly written message. Even if you send 50 emails a day, you should make sure you’re making sense. Note that I’m not suggesting that you be noncontroversial—just clear.
- Respond promptly: Don’t keep people hanging. Take the time you need to think about your response, but don’t dilly-dally. And here’s a revolutionary thought: Sometimes, email just won’t do. You may need to pick up the phone or go for face time.
As long as email exists, you will need to stay alert to an evolving lexicon of faux pas. Some folks decry inspiration quotes in your signature line or including your email address there. Others will smack you for using emojis.
So as the late, great Sergeant Phil Esterhaus cautioned, “Let’s be careful out there.”
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