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How to Empower Your Email Style

  • Writer: Leah Morris
    Leah Morris
  • Jan 22, 2023
  • 1 min read


Your email tone and the way you communicate can have a huge impact on the way your colleagues and clients perceive you and interact with you.


A polite, confident and assertive email style isn’t hard to achieve but it does take practice. Use these tips to start off, and remember to avoid things like:

  • Excessive apologising (unless you really offended someone, in which case ownership and an apology might be warranted).

  • Filler words (‘just’, ‘maybe’, ‘perhaps’).

  • Self sabotage (‘I could be wrong but…’, ‘I’m not the expert’).

  • Excessive use of ‘I’ (team projects mean you can often the collective ‘we’ which indicates a united front – power in numbers).

  • Delaying bad news (our mantra is 'good news fast, bad news faster').

Of course, certain situations may require you deviate from these recommendations, so use your instincts or ask a trusted mentor if you’re not sure how to respond. Ready to harness the power of the pen?


1. Thanks, not sorry.

The situation: “Yeah, this took ages but you'll get over it.: DON’T SAY: Sorry for the delay. DO SAY: Thanks for your patience.


2. Don't tell me, I'll tell you.

The situation: “My time matters just as much as yours, mate.”  DON’T SAY: What time works for you? DO SAY: Could you do 9am?


3. I do actually know how to do my job.


The situation: “I know what I’m doing.”  DON’T SAY: I think maybe we should… JUST SAY: We should...

4. Check-in time.


The situation: “Where are we at on this?  DON’T SAY: Just wanted to check in.  JUST SAY: When can I expect an update?

5. Get it? Got it? Good.


The situation: “Do you understand?”  DON’T SAY: Hopefully that makes sense? JUST SAY: Let me know any questions.

6. I'm not perfect but who is?


The situation: “Oops, I made an error.”  DON’T SAY: Ah, I totally missed that, my bad!  DO SAY: Thanks for flagging, we’ll get that corrected.

7. You can have my attention for this long.


The situation: “I have somewhere else to be.”   DON’T SAY: Could I possibly leave early?  DO SAY: I’ll need to leave at…

8. I'm awesome – I know!

The situation: “You’re welcome.”  DON’T SAY: No worries! DO SAY: Happy to help.

For more tips like these, follow Mavens on LinkedIn and Instagram.

 
 
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