Tips on Business Emails: Drafting the Email
6. But be yourself.
“Official” doesn’t mean “boring” or “pompous”. Don’t write like a legal document. Write like you would talk in a professional setting (or, for people who aren’t great talkers, like me—write like you would like to talk). t’s okay to let your personality shine through.
7. Omit unnecessary words.
I have borrowed this injunction from a celebrated style guide for writing in English, the Elements of Style by Strunk and White.*
Avoid filler phrases such as “you know”, “actually”, or worse, “to be honest”, which makes the reader wonder how insincere the rest of your correspondence is!
8. But don’t abbreviate unnecessarily.
If you do use a short form, be sure your audience knows what it means (and if you aren’t sure, spell it out). Only use widely accepted abbreviations and acronyms. Do NOT abbreviate common words such as thanks (“thnx” or “tx”) or regards (“rgds”). Avoid “text speak” (e.g., LOL, TTYL, IDK, etc.)
9. And don't use buzzwords.
We all know those words in corporate speak: words which may have meant something at one time but are now so over-used that they just make you look boring or insincere if you use them (and hey, I’ve done this too): “bandwidth,” “brainstorm,” “fast track,” “results-driven,” “team player,” “win-win situation.” If you do use such a word, make sure it really means what you want it to mean.
10. Use the first person.
“I think we should…” comes across much better than instead of “It is more appropriate to…” Using the third person usually makes for awkward writing.
11. Use personal pronouns correctly.
If you are unaware of someone’s gender or are talking about a hypothetical person (“our next customer,” “the user of this new system”), be gender-neutral by either using the plural form of the noun and “they” or by avoiding personal pronouns altogether (e.g., “the client,” “the manager”, etc.)
