Email is awesome! Except for that one time you wrote “OK” with no exclamation point and your sister-in-law thought you were mad at her and Thanksgiving was ruined. That's why we're here to remind you what not to say in an email. In the interest of not being misconstrued, here are five phrases to cut permanently from your lexicon.
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Prefacing a statement (especially a request) with “just” diminishes your message and might make you seem less confident. Instead of saying “I’m just trying to set up a time for the packaging meeting,” say “I’m writing to set up a time for the packaging meeting.” Nobody will miss that little J-word.
This word is kind of like "literally" in that it’s annoyingly ubiquitous and frequently misused. Basically, it’s filler, and nine times out of ten, can actually be cut.
Did your colleague’s dog die? Did you do something egregiously wrong? Or are you asking her why her expense report is late? We often use apologies (“Sorry to nudge but…”) as a crutch in emails in order to keep from seeming aggressive. But the downside is that you then start the conversation on a negative tone, and end up taking blame for something that isn’t your fault
This is another one that deals with confidence. If you’re saying something, project that you know it makes sense. If you’re genuinely concerned that your message is confusing, think about ways you can clarify.
Here’s an idea: Don’t make typos!
