E-mail as a Genre

I want to thank everyone who visited my blog site last month and left comments. This month, I’d like to answer an excellent question—about e-mails.

A blogger wrote, “I’d like to read a blog post discussing ways to avoid sounding like an idiot in e-mails. I sometimes feel embarrassed for the people writing me who come off sounding like a second grader.”

According to a UCLA Center for Communication Policy report written in 2001, 88 percent of Internet users use e-mail, whether for business or pleasure. And in the last seven years, the number of users has grown exponentially.

So if we’re all writing e-mails, what strategies can we use to avoid “sounding like a second grader”? An e-mail may be your first introduction to someone, so make a good impression. Once you’ve hit “send,” there’s no taking it back. And even when you know someone, it’s just as easy to make a good impression as a bad one.

I have a bias. I really like e-mail and I get a little frustrated with those who don’t. I like its ease and immediacy. It’s much less bothersome than a phone call and much quicker than a letter. And, if well written, it strikes a perfect balance between formal and casual.

But I don’t like e-mails that are full of glaring spelling and grammatical errors. Talk about poor first impressions! A few years ago I advertised for an assistant for my business, The Writing Center, and I couldn’t believe the number of introductory e-mails I received that contained glaring errors. Mind you, I was advertising for an editing, tutoring and coaching position for a writing center! Needless to say, it was easy to separate the wheat from the chaff.

So how do you eliminate spelling and grammatical errors? Run your e-mail through a simple spell and grammar check after you complete it. It only takes a few seconds. But remember that spell check won’t pick up all your errors. It won’t, for example, show which version of “to, too or two” is needed. So your next step after using the spell and grammar check is to read over your e-mail several times before hitting “send.” And if it’s a really important e-mail, like a cover letter for a job, ask someone you trust to proofread your e-mail. We sometimes get too close to the writing to catch all our errors.

The next step to writing a good e-mail is to avoid the use of abbreviations. There’s a place for abbreviations—in text messages and instant messaging—but not in e-mails. Yes, e-mails should be short and sweet, but plz don’t abbrvt. Rather, take the time to spell out your words, but chose your words carefully.

One of the most important elements of a good e-mail is tone—which is a hard thing to nail down. E-mails should be concise and get to the point as quickly as possible, but they shouldn’t be abrupt and lacking in the personal touch. It’s easy to communicate tone when we’re speaking, but conveying the right tone in writing is challenging.

So again, I emphasize: Read over your e-mail several times before sending it. If the e-mail is a long one—and sometimes they’re unavoidable—you can propel your reader forward by saying in the first line, for example, “This e-mail is long, but the subject is complicated and deserves a thorough explanation.” Then, do your best to use an economy of words to explain the “complicated” matter.

A couple of other points deserve mention. Avoid the use of all capital letters because IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU’RE SHOUTING! Capitalizing an occasional word for emphasis is fine. Just as you would in a letter, always begin your e-mail with a greeting: “Dear Dr. Gross” or “Hi Ruth.” Closings are important too. Don’t sign off without using your favorite closing, like, “Best Regards,” “All best” or “Cheers,” followed by your name.

Writing experts now regard e-mail as a specific “genre,” so there’s a world of information to impart. I’ll revisit the topic again, but for now, to avoid “sounding like a second grader,” eliminate spelling and grammatical errors, avoid abbreviations, and be concise, yet friendly, in your tone.

Please send more questions!