You may think that email writing is not rocket science, but it doesn't mean that you can be negligent, especially if you're trying to reach somebody important, e.g., your professor, your potential boss, etc. When drafting an email, it is necessary to consider your tone, especially regarding any call to action.
Your readers need to have trust in you and your message. Therefore, it is pretty essential to understand how to sound more professional. You don't have the second opportunity to change the first impression, and you don't have any additional tools like look or smile to smooth this situation over.
So what are the most common mistakes you should avoid when writing an email?
Don't Sound too Excited
When applying for an internship program or a job, you're feeling keen for a new opportunity. It is all good, but your excitement can do a great disservice. When you show your expectation and your language sound assertive, it makes your email desperate.
Of course, it doesn't mean that you should write as indifferently as possible; you just need to find this delicate balance.
Don't apologize all the time, and don't say "thank you" too much because it makes you seem like you don't believe in yourself. You need to practice this skill still if you can't ask for coursework help or email writing help each time when it is something important on the other side of the scale. Your grammar should communicate your emotions appropriately.
Don't make your emails too wordy
On average, you have just several seconds to lure in your audience, so writing a long and uncompelling message is a losing strategy. Such emails just scream your insecurity because it shows your intent on explaining yourself, your idea, your product, whatever it is.
Take some time to think about your writing subject and try to fit your thoughts in one paragraph, two at the most. It is not an article, and it is just an email, so treat it as a short and meaningful message.
This task might not be as complex as research papers help, but you can follow similar principles:
- Make your sentences short and readable. Get rid of tautology.
- Remember about the final goal of your email and stick to it. If you need to advertise or sell something, don't forget about the call to action to make your writing more powerful.
- If you're applying for an attractive opportunity, sell yourself.
Don't use words that make you sound confused
Once you have finished your writing, read the email several times and try to find words and sentences that don't make any sense. Moreover, there may be a few that can spoil the overall impression.
Take a look at these words to avoid when writing:
- just, only, simply;
- perhaps, probably, possibly, maybe, I guess;
- try, attempt;
- I feel like, I'm not sure but, personally;
- some such, whatever, something;
- sorry, my bad, apologies.
The confident sentence can't contain words that imply uncertainty. If you're not sure about something, you shouldn't write about it: offer a more realistic alternative. For example, instead of "I'll try to reach my colleague somehow," you can write "I'm reaching my colleague tomorrow". Add more specifics.
Words like "my bad" or "I feel like" diminish the value of your voice. If you're writing a message to achieve some goals, make your statement and ask for what you want.
Trying too hard
If you're writing to your professor, this doesn't mean you should cram all the buzzwords you know into a single message. Or if you're going to hire a research paper helper, you shouldn't write that you're an expert but lack time to finish the task. It is not the end of the world when you have to do your best to save the situation.
Keep your language as you would in a regular conversation. Once your professor, hiring manager, customer, etc., get to know and realizes that their first impression of you is false, one may feel deceived. If you ask for help, don't pretend you're a superhero with some circumstances. Ask for it directly. One of the secrets of how to speak more confidently is being honest.
Don't use unnecessary urgency
Modern marketers are used to thinking that if they want to sell something, they have to instill in the client a sense of urgency that leaves no choice but to buy. It works sometimes; remember how many purchases you made because of "the last size!" banners. However, when this sense of urgency is false, it puts your audience off in a major way-too much pressure work for circus animals, not people.
When you're applying for a job and writing that it is your last chance to start the career, it doesn't make you sound confident. The hiring manager can easily feel your desperation, and this writes your candidacy off, even if you have an amazing CV. It doesn't mean, though, that you have to boast or exaggerate your merits; it has the opposite effect. Remember about honesty.
Don't use too many exclamation marks or emotions
When you're asking for assignment writing help, you may use a lot of exclamation marks or crying faces, trying to show how much you need someone to support you. Don't make this mistake when you're writing a business email. Marks and emoticons don't make you sound more cheerful or sincere. Firstly, you don't know how other people see them on their devices or how they perceive them. Besides, when it comes to official communication, exclamation marks and emojis rather look like manipulation. When you're trying to evoke specific emotions in people, tell them what they should feel. And this approach doesn't make you sound confident.
Of course, writing good emails is an art, and it will take you some time to master it. However, once you become a real professional, it provides you with various opportunities. Communication is a king, so don't underestimate the mastery of the word.