English presents a bit of a problem when it comes to writing shorter emails. Or being brief in general. Here\u2019s a case in point:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSend me the report by 5pm.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Now, the problem with this sentence is that, by anyone\u2019s standards in English, it\u2019s impolite, if not plain rude. No \u2018please\u2019, no indirect way of asking for something. No. Something like this would be much better:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWould it be possible for you to send me the report by 5pm if it is not too inconvenient for you. Many thanks in advance.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Now, this one is a little extreme. It\u2019s typically English, or perhaps even typically British, as the Brits like to go the long way around to saying what they really want, but the point is still valid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How do we write something brief, in a work context, that does not sound impolite, but instead is impactful, but maintains harmony? It\u2019s a challenge. Fortunately, there are some easy tips which can help you master this art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t forget the all-important magic words<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is generally accepted that there are five \u2018magic\u2019 words in English: \u2018please\u2019, \u2018thank you\u2019, \u2018excuse me\u2019, \u2018pardon me\u2019 and \u2018sorry\u2019. It is also generally accepted that any request should involve at least one of these \u2018magic\u2019 words. And adding one of these words is hardly going to turn your short email into an epic novel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPlease send me the report by 5pm.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Much better, but it may need more\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Be indirect<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, this is an important thing to do, and will add words, but not many. How about this\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCan you send me the report by 5pm, please?\u201d<\/p><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Note how there is now a question mark at the end of this sentence. Why? Because you have now made it an indirect question, which is about 100 times more polite that what came before, which was a demand. The true answer to this question is \u201cYes I can\u201d, which of course is no confirmation that indeed you \u2018will\u2019, but that is how indirect questions work. Here are a few more examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCould you send me the report by 5pm, please?\u201d<\/p>
\u201cWould you be able to send me the report by 5pm, please?\u201d<\/p>
\u201cWould it be possible to send me the report by 5pm, please?\u201d<\/p>
\u201cDo you mind sending me the report by 5pm, please?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Your email is starting to look a little longer now, of course, but infinitely more polite too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Be individualistic<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, who says you cannot inject a little bit of character into your email writing? Formal English can be so predictable, and is totally without any sort of color. So, add a part of your personality to proceedings by saying something that is just \u2018you\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCould you send me the report by 5pm? You\u2019re a star, thanks.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
No, the one thing to be said for this is that you need to be consistent in adding these little individualistic flourishes. If you never do it, and then do it once, it will seem weird. So, build it in as a regular part of your emails. It hardly adds any words, does it?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Use first names<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
When writing emails, it is perfectly acceptable to use first names in a business context. Obviously, you have to gage the person you are writing to, so this involves a little bit of common sense, but including a first name in a request sounds so much more personable, polite, and communicative.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCould you send me the report by 5pm, please John?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Use emojis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Really? In a work context? Yes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Believe it or not, emojis are now becoming increasingly acceptable at work. However, think carefully about the ones you use. Often just a smiley face will do the job, so don\u2019t try to be too clever, and certainly don\u2019t include too many emojis as this can be irritating. One smiley face really makes a request so much friendlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCould you send me the report by 5pm, please John? You\u2019re a star.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
And now we can compare:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSend me the report by 5pm.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCould you send me the report by 5pm, please John? You\u2019re a star.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Which seems better to you? And you haven\u2019t gone and written something as long as Game of Thrones either!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
English presents a bit of a problem when it comes to writing shorter emails. Or being brief in general. Here\u2019s a case in point: \u201cSend me the report by 5pm.\u201d Now, the problem with this sentence is that, by anyone\u2019s standards in English, it\u2019s impolite, if not plain rude. No \u2018please\u2019, no indirect way of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1039,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[479,15,14,574],"class_list":["post-1038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","tag-email","tag-grammar","tag-how-to","tag-writing-advice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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