There’s nothing sweeter than a gentle reminder. And emails never give you a good impression.
Nothing annoys working professionals more than emails containing vague flattery, unwanted favors, or even passive-aggressive follow-ups. If you say “As per your last email…” your email will definitely remain on hold.
There are some do’s and don’ts when writing professional emails. “Email can be frustrating. First, you can’t see the person. In many cases, you may not even know the person. So connecting with someone you can’t see or don’t know is… “It’s already very difficult. So a lot depends on the tone of the email and how you contextualize it,” says Nick Smallman, UK-based culture, communications and engagement thought leader. says Mr.
Remember that working professionals are already overwhelmed with a million emails a day. Vague, generic, offensive, or meaningless stuff filled with false rhetoric either provokes an angry or irritated response or simply goes unread. Or it could end up in the trash.
Email can be frustrating. A lot depends on the person’s tone in the email and how you explain the context. Empathy is needed to connect with others. For example, you can start your email by saying, “I know you’re busy…”
– Nick Smallman, Culture, Communication and Engagement Thought Leader
So how can you send a professional email without irritating them? Well, here’s how.
Skip Dear, Dear, Dear
“No one is more important to you. You don’t write letters to your grandmother,” says Mai Lin, a manager at a Dubai-based marketing consulting firm. “I deleted emails from people who addressed my loved ones,” she says flatly. She is also, quite shockingly, called Dear One. “I had to warn people not to talk to me that way,” she says.
Therefore, avoid excessive familiarity. As a frustrated Lynn reminds us, no one at work is your nice, dear, honey. “I can’t stand being overly familiar with people I don’t know,” says Melanie Paul (name changed at her request), an American freelance writer living in Abu Dhabi. She said, “I hate it when strangers write me emails and say, “Lovely.” “The email is followed by an unrelated announcement like, ‘Hey, you look great, I wanted to check in…'” she says. Be professional and friendly, but don’t go overboard.
Please be specific in the subject line
As you know, recipients can be bombarded with emails every day. They don’t have time to read each email. They’ll probably just look at the subject and decide if it’s worth their time. Otherwise, it usually remains unread or gets trashed. So keep your subject lines short, explains communication strategist Ritu Mathew. Will begin the main subject.
Many people don’t have the patience to read emails with blank or vague subject lines. “I wouldn’t read an email with a subject line like ‘Checking in’ or ‘Greetings.’ So keep the subject matter short. Make it something that captures the essence of the email, like a headline.” Paul says. Otherwise, you and your email will be ignored.
Email never makes you look good
Yes, we know emails that start with the following lines: “I hope this email cheers you up.” “That doesn’t seem sincere. The first thing that comes to mind when I read this is, ‘Okay, what do you want?’ ,” says Neil Sheth, founder of Writeful, which focuses on leadership content strategy. Lauren Simmons, a Canadian human resources director based in Dubai, says, “It sounds pretty trite, as if you don’t really care about what’s happening to them, but you’re determined to get your job done.” I’m just doing it.” I just want to say hello and hope you’re doing well.
“I hope you’re well” doesn’t sound sincere. The first thing that comes to mind when reading this is, “So, what do you want?”
– Neil Sheth, Founder of Writeful
Skip the slang
Don’t confuse your readers by wandering, advises Ritu Mathew, a communications strategist based in Dubai. “Especially if you’re texting multiple times a day, there’s no need to start the conversation by being chatty and overly friendly before jumping into the conversation,” she says. “Avoid slang, excessive punctuation, and emoticons,” she says.
A little empathy never hurts
Email can be a frustrating form of communication for many reasons, one of which is that you can’t see the other person’s face. “In emails, you should at least show a little empathy so they can pick up on your tone and mood,” Smallman explains. If you know the other person is busy, use phrases like “I know you must be busy,” and clearly explain what you need. Keeping it short, simple, and basic is the best way to avoid irritating someone.
This form of written communication requires establishing some form of trust with the other person, he says.
There’s no need to start a conversation by being chatty and too friendly before jumping into the conversation, especially if you’re texting multiple times a day.Avoid slang, excessive punctuation, and emojis
– Ritu Matthew, Communication Strategist
“Always think about how you would feel if you read this,” says Sheth.
“Just follow up.”
Don’t confuse or confuse your readers.
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There’s no point in following up on a previous email if the person doesn’t remember what you’re following up on.
In her book, Unsubscribe: How to Beat Email Anxiety, Avoid Distractions, and Get Real Work Done, American self-help author Jocelyn Gray writes, “Just follow up.” It says that you should avoid sending such generic messages.
Restate your request so they don’t have to sift through a long email thread to see what you’re saying. “If the person doesn’t respond to your email the first time, he probably won’t get any good results if he resends the same message a second time,” Glei writes.
Avoid being pushy and passive-aggressive: No need for gentle reminders.
Please do not mark the email as “URGENT” if you know it is not urgent. Additionally, don’t do it in hopes of getting someone’s attention. “I’ve gotten emails from people saying, ‘I haven’t heard from you in a week, so I guess you’re not interested.’ Well, if that’s the case, please let me know,” said Tina Das, a former corporate spokesperson from Abu Dhabi. I reminisce. “When you receive an email like that, you just get enraged, or you just delete the email and stop replying,” she says.
Also, avoid “gentle” reminders. There’s no such thing as a fond memory, Simmons said. “We all know that reminders are a call to action, and adding kindness to them just makes them sound more passive-aggressive and frustrates them,” she says.
“When it comes to tone of voice, always keep it warm and friendly; never cold or impersonal, and never patronizing or passive-aggressive,” says Matthew.
Think carefully before you “CC”
Do not send email to multiple people in the hope that it will be forwarded to the person who is supposed to receive the email.
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“The point of CCing someone is that they stay in the loop. They already have context. If you don’t, don’t add CC. It’s that simple. There’s no prize for how many people you can cram into an email. If you put yourself in their shoes, how would you feel if you were copied into an email completely out of the blue? That’s right,” Sheth explains.
Don’t copy other people’s emails if you don’t have to
Additionally, never send email to multiple people in the hopes that it will be forwarded to the person who is supposed to receive the email. This takes into account the scenario where the other party does not respond. Most likely, they will send the email to the same person and receive the same email in their inbox, Simmons added. Nothing bothers people more than this.
