Business writing is an inevitable part of your job, whether you’re someone who sits behind a desk all day or someone who’s out in the field meeting clients and customers. Email communication is essential to keep supervisors, coworkers, and clients up to date and informed. Delivering clear, succinct, and neutral messaging, then, is essential.
Check out these do’s and don’ts for business writing so that you can send perfectly polished emails every time.
Do:
Keep it short. Long-winded emails might be necessary occasionally, but generally, the shorter, the better. Your recipient is more likely to read your email if it’s succinct.
Use paragraph breaks. Assume that your recipient is going to scan your email, so write in short, digestible paragraphs for easy reading.
Proofread before hitting send. Read your email before sending it to catch any inaccuracies or, perhaps even worse, embarrassing typos. Email communication needs to be professional, polished, and free of errors.
Don’t:
Use passive aggressive language. If email communication is a struggle with some colleagues, you’re bound to get frustrated. But, don’t let it show. Passive aggressive language like “per my last email,” “correct me if I’m wrong,” or “to put it more simply” creates a subtle yet hostile tone in the email.
Be combative. If you’re frustrated or need to address a problem, avoid discussing this over email. A phone call or face-to-face meeting can be more effective in resolving workplace conflicts.
Reply all without thought. Think twice before you click Reply All. If your email includes your team at work and your informative email needs to be seen by everyone, reply to the group. But, don’t respond to a company-wide email with a “Thanks!” that hits everyone’s inbox at the same time.
Concise, direct business emails can be an effective way to communicate with colleagues and clients. So, craft your emails carefully for maximum impact.