Business Emails 101 (The Forgotten Files)

In the corporate environment, massive amounts of emails are sent in any given day. Our guess is that only a small percentage of those are effective. Why? Just look at the results... emails lead to misunderstandings, corporate squabbles and misconceptions. How can we forget the political powerhouses and executives whose careers were ruined by one bad email chain? Don’t let that be you. Here’s how to write effective business emails that will truly make you look like a boss!

Don’t underline important words or phrases. When you underline an important word or phrase in an email, the recipient can mistake it for a link. We know you want to click this. But don’t. Because you’ll end up wondering if it’s a broken link, or if it’s something that was supposed to be linked but wasn’t. To avoid confusion, simply bold the important part of the email.

Always use a salutation. Sending a business email without a salutation is just plain rude. Yet we see this commonly in corporate settings. Acknowledging the recipient not only personalized the email but is a sign of peer respect.

Break up your email. Breaking up a long email in smaller paragraphs makes it easier for the recipient to absorb the information. A big block of text when someone is on a tight deadline may mean that your email may get overlooked. Even if it gets read, it may not be fully understood because the human brain doesn’t respond well to huge blocks of content. Ideally, use short paragraphs 2 to 3 sentences long.

Put tasks or directives in bullet points. When putting directives in bullet point format you make it easier for the reader to understand your asks and the key points of the email. This is important, as it keeps key information from being buried and ensures that your emails aren’t overlooked or passed up for a task that’s more pressing.

Absolutely no exclamation points or all caps. Unless the email is personal in nature, avoid exclamation points at all costs in business settings. Always, without exception, avoid using ALL CAPS sentences, words or phrases in your emails. Overuse of exclamation points is unprofessional. Using all caps signifies yelling or “talking down to”. We don’t even recommend that you use all caps in your personal emails, either.