#8 Best Ways To Sound Professional On Your Emails

In recent years, casual conversations among colleagues, bosses, and subordinates have become the norm. With workplaces giving more importance to employee engagement, a positive environment, and open communication, talking casually and respectfully is considered good practice.

However, there is such a thing as being too casual. When it comes to email communication, it is still of utmost importance to remain professional. When talking to bosses, colleagues, clients, and customers, following a few rules and guidelines is essential to maintain a professional atmosphere and valuable conversations. Here are a few ways to sound professional in your emails.

8 Best Ways To Sound Professional On Your Emails

Mind the context

How you communicate with someone relies heavily on the context of your relationship and the topic of your conversation. For example, suppose you are talking to a customer about a non-problem issue. In that case, your message can be casual as long as the customer is relaxed and upbeat. On the other hand, if you are dealing with an irate customer, it is vital to choose your words and remain professional so as not to come off as not taking them seriously.

Suppose you are talking to somebody you know who is knowledgeable about the topic. In that case, you can use jargon and acronyms in the conversation. However, if you are unsure, it’s best to spell out those acronyms and use layman’s terms instead.

Avoid big words

Big words, sometimes called “ten-dollar words,” make email messages unnecessarily long and intimidating. Avoid using intense words when regular words can do the job. Instead, be concise and direct, and make your verbiage as simple and professional as possible.

Run spellcheck and grammar checks

Before sending an email, ensure everything’s spelled correctly, including the recipient’s name. There are built-in spelling and grammar check tools on almost every platform. If unsatisfied with their thoroughness, you can also download tools like Grammarly.

Don’t overuse punctuation, either. One question mark will do. Save the three question marks for your personal tweets. Don’t overuse the exclamation mark in your sentences, either. If you really have to, choose a spot or two to put, and that’s it. Use a period on everything else. Avoid using ellipsis marks between sentences, either.

Don’t overuse the word “Just”

There are words that you must avoid using in emails, and one of them is the word “just.” Depending on the context, the term “just” can help you achieve your goal in your emails. For example, saying, “we just need one referral from you,” may put the other person at ease since you are not asking for anything other than the one referral. In this case, the word “just” minimizes the impact of your asking for a favor.

On the other hand, using “just” in sentences such as “I just want to ask for one interview with the CEO” minimizes your intention. Suppose you are in a professional setting doing the job assigned to you. In that case, there is no need to apologize and hesitate to ask.

Don’t be afraid to format your emails

If you want to emphasize a phrase or a word, you can put them in bold or italics — just don’t overuse it, of course. You can also use italics to be grammatically correct in writing book titles and company names. Use hyperlinks to give your email message a clean look. The rule is to not overdo it and only use formatting when necessary.

Remember to also break up your emails. Don’t send long paragraphs — people hardly have the time to read, considering the number of emails everyone gets daily, not to mention spam and phishing emails that need weeding out. Instead, start a new section if you are introducing a new piece of information. Make use of bullets or numbers when enumerating points or questions. This is also to ensure that the recipient can address all of them.

Use a signature

Take the time to create a professional and clean-looking signature. A good one has your full name, title or position, and contact information. Make one that is not overly glaring and wordy. You can do away with signatures when talking to people you regularly have email correspondence with.

Take advantage of templates

It can be tiring to write all emails from scratch every time. Suppose you have email messages that you regularly send out, such as weekly meeting announcements, outreach emails, and follow-up emails. In that case, it saves you time if you create templates for them. You can fill in the details and variables before sending them out.

Be mindful of the time of sending emails

Don’t send emails too early or too late in the day. Avoid sending or replying to emails during the weekends, as well. Most email platforms have a “send later” function, so ensure that you only send emails during work hours.

Takeaway

Emails are part of our daily life as professionals, and it is essential to keep them as respectful, professional, and positive as possible. The list above contains a few ways to sound professional. They will definitely help you in your daily email correspondence.

by Myrtle Bautista

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