Have you ever sent an email and instantly wished you could take it back? Perhaps it was an autocorrect mishap that twisted your words. Or maybe you mistakenly clicked reply all, sharing your message with a group instead of just one person.
It’s easy to make mistakes when you’re quickly sending messages by email. And sometimes, you might slip up without even knowing you’re making a mistake. The things you overlook or don’t know about can surprise you, leading to misunderstandings that may harm your professional relationships.
By exploring what can make emails seem unprofessional and learning best practices, you can safeguard against all the most common errors. Let’s get started.
Why excellent email skills matter at work
Professional emails are the backbone of day-to-day communications in the workplace. They’re how you catch up with coworkers, update your boss, or connect with clients. Like many people, you might spend over 10 hours per week writing work emails, so it’s important to make that time count. When you go the extra mile to get your emails right, you’ll likely benefit in a variety of ways.
Shows professionalism
The extra time you put into crafting each email message helps ensure they send the right message about you. Focusing on clear, polite, and well-structured emails shows others you care about your job and want the best results. But doing this right can be tricky because people have different ideas about what’s professional. So, if you’re unsure, it’s a good idea to play it safe and stick to a more formal style.
Reduces misunderstandings
Paying attention to how you write your emails can reduce confusion at work. By being clear and specific in what you say, you help ensure everyone understands what you mean the first time around. This can prevent potentially costly mistakes, wasted time, and missed opportunities, keeping things running smoothly.
Maintains professional relationships
Good email skills are key to keeping strong professional relationships. It’s how you show that you respect and value the people you’re emailing. Communicating well builds trust and makes it easier to work on projects or solve problems together.
Common mistakes to avoid when writing business emails
Writing emails carefully is key if you want to make a good impression. To do this right, it’s important to know the common mistakes. Let’s look at some examples and discuss strategies for fixing them.
Using your personal email address
The number one email etiquette rule is to use a professional email address. That’s because people might not take you seriously if you use a personal one, like:
- Spacecowboy321@example.com
- Expert.nap.taker@example.com
- Ilovebaconandnarwhals@example.com
Using these kinds of emails can make you look less reliable, trustworthy, and committed to your work.
To avoid those assumptions, choose a more serious email address. If your job provides an email address, use that one for all business correspondence. If not, create a new email just for work.
When creating your professional email, aim for clarity and simplicity. An address that clearly includes your name will make it easier for your team and clients to recognize you.
Use periods, underscores, or dashes to create a unique address if your full name is taken. You can also check various email providers, like Gmail and ProtonMail, to find one that lets you get as close as possible to your preferred address.
Sending your professional emails to the wrong recipients
Sending emails to the wrong people happens easily, often because of autofill suggestions or not double-checking the recipients. And you usually cannot take the message back once it’s sent.
Although it’s a small error, misdirected emails can cause major issues. For example, sending project info to the wrong person can confuse them, and the right person won’t get the information they need.
The repercussions could be even worse if your email contains sensitive information, like customer data, personally identifiable information, or confidential plans. Depending on the email’s content, this error could lead to privacy breaches, company secret leaks, and many legal issues.
To prevent this, manually type in the full email address instead of letting autofill complete the entry. Also, don’t hit send until you’ve reviewed your email’s recipient list carefully.
Including too many recipients in email threads
Including too many people in an email chain can occur for various reasons. Sometimes, it’s because someone hits reply all without thinking whether everyone needs the message.
Other times, it’s due to someone looping in extra people just in case they might need the information. This is usually when using carbon copy (CC) and blind carbon copy (BCC) with reckless abandon, indiscriminately adding recipients without considering if they truly need to be involved.
At best, this results in a cluttered inbox for recipients who don’t need to participate in the conversion. At worst, it can cause confusion, increase frustration, or potentially leak sensitive information.
Avoiding this involves thinking carefully about who needs to read the messages. Ask yourself if each person is directly involved or needs the information to do their job. Use CC for people who should read the message but don’t need to respond and BCC for those who need to be kept in the loop discreetly.
Adding unclear or confusing subject lines
Adding unclear or confusing subject lines to your emails can be counterproductive. The subject line is meant to grab the reader’s attention and provide a sneak peek into the content, prompting recipients to open the email.
If it doesn’t hit the mark, the subject line may have the opposite effect, causing recipients to overlook or delete the email without reading it. For instance, consider subject lines like “Urgent Matter,” “Quick Question,” or “In-Person Meeting.” None of these subject lines offer a clue about what the message is about or why the recipient should care.
Instead, use clear and specific subject lines that explain the purpose or urgency of the email. For example, “Meeting Reminder: Tomorrow at 10 am” or “Feedback Needed: Client Presentation Proposal.” This way, recipients know what to expect and are more likely to open and act on your email.
Skipping the friendly greeting or closing
When you skip the friendly greeting or closing in an email, it might look like you’re not interested in the conversation or too busy to be polite. This can make your emails feel cold and not very friendly, which isn’t great for building good working relationships.
To fix this, use the opening line to offer a warm greeting like “Hello, Team.” At the end, politely sign off by using something like “Best regards,” “Sincerely,” or a simple “Thanks.” This small effort shows that you value the interaction and the person you’re emailing, helping to maintain a positive and professional atmosphere.
Spelling a recipient’s name wrong or using incorrect pronouns
Making a mistake like misspelling someone’s name or using the wrong pronouns is a common problem that can have big consequences. These errors can make it seem like you’re not paying attention or don’t respect the other person, even if you didn’t mean to come across that way.
Names can be spelled in many ways. For example, even common names like “Caitlin” have many variations: Kaitlyn, Katelyn, Caitlyn, and so on. So, don’t assume you know the spelling without checking.
When emailing someone, get their name right by checking its spelling in their email signature, the address field, or a previous email. For new contacts, a quick look at their LinkedIn profile or the company website can provide the correct spelling.
If you’re not sure about someone’s gender, don’t guess based on their name or your own perceptions. If you’re emailing someone named Sam, who’s to say if they’re a man, woman, or nonbinary person? Avoid misgendering them by using their full name without a title, such as “Dear Sam Smith” instead of “Mr. Smith” or “Ms. Smith.”
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Writing walls of text without proper formatting
Writing long paragraphs without proper formatting can make your text hard to read and understand. Even if you have a lot to share, it’s possible to organize your thoughts clearly.
Some ways to properly format your business emails include:
- Writing short paragraphs and focusing on one idea at a time, which can help readers follow your thoughts more easily
- Listing important info using bullet points or numbered lists to make the email body easier to scan
- Organizing your content with headings and subheadings, especially in long emails that require scrolling
- Leaving white space around the headings, paragraphs, and lists to improve the readability of your text
- Using bold and italics sparingly to emphasize important points or terms, drawing the reader’s eye to key information
Correctly formatting your business emails takes just a few moments but can make a big difference in how your message is received.
Using a casual, unconfident, or rude tone
When speaking to someone in person, they can usually see your expressions or hear your voice. But in emails, none of that comes through. Instead, how the other person understands your message depends entirely on your word choices and the overall tone of your email.
Some ways your tone might sound off include:
- Too casual: An email that starts with “Hiya” and is full of LOLs and emojis could send the wrong message. The recipient might feel like you have nothing important to say or are just messing around.
- Uncertain: If your email is full of phrases like “I think,” “maybe,” or “I guess,” it can detract from your professional image. People might start doubting what you’re saying or wondering if you’re just guessing.
- Rude: Being too blunt, using all caps, or not saying “please” or “thank you” can come off as aggressive or unfriendly. This can create unnecessary tension or conflict, harming your professional relationships.
To write in a professional tone, you need to think about who you’re messaging. Everyone has their own idea of professionalism, so it’s wise to consider what each person expects.
In general, it’s best to use polite and formal language that is still easy to understand. Also, aim to sound confident in what you’re saying, but don’t forget to be nice about it.
Rambling, gossiping, and wandering off the topic
Unprofessional emails often suffer from issues like rambling, gossiping, and going off topic. Rambling occurs when the email goes on and on without getting to the point. The recipient may find it challenging to understand the main message or even keep reading to the end.
Gossiping via email involves spreading rumors or talking about others in a negative light. This behavior creates tension and distrust within teams, fostering an unhealthy work environment. It can also lead to HR reports and investigations into workplace misconduct.
Going off topic in emails means veering away from the main subject, leading to confusion and wasting everyone’s time. It’s like when you’re trying to plan a team outing but end up discussing last night’s TV show instead.
To avoid these problems, keep your emails to work-related topics. Strive to keep them brief and only about the current topic you need to discuss. Additionally, try not to bring up personal matters about others unless they directly relate to the task at hand.
Wasting the recipient’s time with cryptic messaging
Cryptic messaging might look like sending an email with vague instructions or missing details. This might look like writing, “Please review and get back to me ASAP,” without explaining what exactly you need to be reviewed and by when.
After reading this message, the email recipient must spend extra time trying to understand what you mean. They’ll likely need to ask for clarification to figure it out, wasting everyone’s time, including yours.
To fix this, be clear in your emails. Provide specific details and instructions. Instead of the vague message above, say something like, “Please review the attached document and let me know your feedback on the budget by the end of the day.” This way, the recipient knows exactly what to do without asking for more information.
Skipping the grammar, punctuation, and spelling check
Perfecting your grammar, punctuation, and spelling helps people understand what you’re saying and makes you look more professional. With today’s technology, it’s easy to check and fix mistakes quickly to avoid embarrassing errors.
Here are some simple ways to do it:
- Use built-in tools: Many email applications have built-in spellcheckers. This feature automatically highlights misspelled words as you type your message so you can correct them before sending it.
- Word processors: Word processors like Google Docs and Microsoft Word can help you find and correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes. They highlight errors as you type and can run a complete check at the press of a button.
- Online programs: Websites like Grammarly and Hemingway Editor can help you find and fix errors in your writing. These tools not only correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes but also suggest ways to improve clarity and style.
Also, consider taking a few minutes to manually double-check your writing.
Reread the email slowly, looking for any typos, awkward sentences, or an off-putting tone. Remember to check for problems that the tools won’t pick up, like the excessive use of exclamation points or the addition of unnecessary information.
Examples of poorly written emails
Now, let’s move on to some examples of poorly written emails. This section will give you a clear idea of what poor email etiquette looks like, helping you improve your own email writing.
Overly casual business correspondence
Subject: Heya! 😄 Quick Thing…
Hey boss!! Just wanted to shoot you a message real quick. So, we’ve got this little issue with our system not playing nice, and it’s kinda messing things up. It’s all over the place, and honestly, it’s driving me a bit nuts. 😅
Could you maybe take a peek when you have a sec? Not sure what’s up, but there’s def something weird going on. I’d totally appreciate your genius on this! 🧠
Thanks dude! Oh, and no rush, but kinda urgent, ya know?
Cheers!
Parker
What went wrong? This email is too casual for a work setting; using slang and emojis doesn’t fit business communication, especially with a manager. It also lacks clear information and mixes urgency with a laid-back tone.
The fix? Write more formally by avoiding slang terms and emojis. Make sure to clearly explain what the problem is. It’s also important to be clear about how urgent the issue is while still being polite.
Mystery messages with unclear intent
Subject: Quick Question
Got a sec? There’s something I need to talk about, but I'm not sure how to put it. It’s about the project…or maybe the team? Anyway, could use your thoughts on something that’s been on my mind. Let me know when you’re free to chat.
~Jordan
What went wrong? This email is too vague. It mentions there’s something to discuss but doesn’t say what the topic is or why it’s important. There’s no friendly greeting or closing either.
The fix? Clearly state the purpose of your message in the subject line. Add a friendly greeting, then share more details about the topic. If you’re not completely sure what’s going on, point to the general area of concern, like team dynamics. Suggest a time for a meeting or ask for their availability. Then, close your message with a polite sign-off.
Wall of text full of punctuation, spelling, and grammar mistakes
Subject: Urgent request for infromation
Hey there, I’m needing some infromation pretty quick on the last project we did. You know, the one for that big client we were all stressing about? Can you sent over the files or any notes you might have. It’s really importent, because there’s some mix up with what they’re saying we delivered or what we actaully did. Also, can you let me know asap, when you might have thsoe ready. Need to sort this out before it gets any worser. Thanks a bunch, Morgan
What went wrong? This email is full of spelling mistakes, bad grammar, and punctuation errors. It’s also a relatively long wall of text, making it even more challenging to read and understand.
The fix? Begin with a spellcheck to eliminate spelling and grammar mistakes. Then, break the text into shorter paragraphs for easier reading. Make sure to include a clear subject, a formal greeting and closing, and a direct request for what you need.
It’s time to make your business emails flawless
Now that you know what to avoid, it’s time to put these tips into action. Start by reviewing your next email before hitting send, correcting any mistakes you see. While it might take a little extra time, your attention to detail will set you apart and leave a lasting positive impression.