How to Avoid Miscommunication in Emails

Co-authored by Amber Rosenberg, PCC and Hannah Madden

Last Updated: July 19, 2022 References

If you’ve been working for a while, you probably know just how important emails are. Since there’s no way to convey tone or body language over the internet, it’s easy to misinterpret someone’s message when you see it on a screen. Keep reading to learn how you can write emails that are clear, concise, and effective in a professional setting.

1

Write emails when you can focus.

If you’re distracted, your email might not be as well put-together. When you have an email to write, try to sit down uninterrupted when you aren’t thinking about a million other things. Your writing will be clearer and you’ll be able to focus on your grammar, tone, and overall message.^{[1]
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- This is especially important if your email is going out to multiple people.
- Write emails in a quiet room and put away your phone and other distractions.
- Try to refrain from multitasking as you write your emails.

2

Set the tone with your first few words.

Your opening phrase can have a big impact. If you’d like your tone to be light and casual, open up with something like, “Hi Jessica! Hope you had a good weekend.” If you want to keep it a little more professional, just say something like, “Hi David.”^{[2]
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- Try to avoid anything too stuffy, like “Dear Robert.” It seems a little impersonal.

3

Keep your emails short.

Long-winded messages tend to confuse your recipient. Try to be brief and concise, if possible. Keep your sentences short, and don’t add too much detail—if you find yourself writing more than 1 or 2 paragraphs, you should probably give people the information over video chat or in person.^{[3]
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- Try to get to the point quickly, and avoid writing a ton of pleasantries.
- People tend to read emails in short bursts. If you add too much information, chances are, some of it will get lost.
- Keep your emails brief, but try to avoid blunt sentences or one-word answers. Those can seem a little rude, especially over a computer screen.

4

State what you need clearly.

If you are requesting something, make sure it’s understandable. Don’t beat around the bush—state what you need clearly and directly so there’s no misunderstanding. If there’s a timeline, be sure to include that as well. Be sure to keep your tone light, though. For instance:^{[4]
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- “I need that monthly progress report in my inbox by Monday evening.”
- “If you could get that team feedback form to me by the end of the week, that would be great.”

5

Organize your thoughts with paragraphs.

It will help people read the information easily. When you move onto a new subject, separate it with a new paragraph so your email is skimmable.^{[5]
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- Use words like “also,” “next,” and “lastly” to start off your paragraphs.

6

Add a specific subject line.

Let people know what exactly the email is about. Make sure your subject is specific; for instance, instead of writing “Report,” try something like, “Monthly planning report: June 2021.” Your colleagues will be more likely to open it up and read it if they know it’s important and relevant to them.^{[7]
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- This also helps keep your emails out of the spam folder.

7

Proofread for typos.

Mistakes can really throw off your message. While most spell-checkers will catch misspelled words, they won’t be able to catch the wrong word choice or someone’s misspelled name. You should also read through for missing punctuation or grammatical errors, since those can make the reader think you don’t care. Spend 2 to 3 minutes reading your email before you send it to make sure there aren’t any glaringly obvious errors.^{[8]
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Trustworthy Source
Harvard Business Review
Online and print journal covering topics related to business management practices
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- In a professional setting, it’s very important to spell someone’s name correctly. Take a minute to double check that you have it right before you send it off to avoid any awkwardness in the future.

8

Re-read your emails for tone.

Think about how your recipients will read your message. Something like, “Let’s talk later,” might seem innocent to you, but your colleague reading it might think they’re in trouble or that you’re angry. Change it to something like, “Do you have time to chat later about the upcoming changes in the report?” to be a little clearer.^{[9]
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Trustworthy Source
Harvard Business Review
Online and print journal covering topics related to business management practices
Go to source}
- Never use all caps in your emails! Writing a sentence in caps lock is usually seen as yelling at someone through a computer screen.
- Instead of something like, “Submit your changes by tomorrow morning.” try something like, “Since the deadline is tomorrow afternoon, I’ll need your changes by tomorrow morning. Let me know if that timeline works for you.”

9

Pause before replying to an inflammatory email.

If you get an email that makes you feel angry, take a second to breathe. Instead of crafting a cutting reply, count to 10 (or 1,000) until you feel calm. Then, re-read the email to see if it’s actually insulting or not. Chances are, you may have misconstrued the message a bit, and it’s not actually that bad.^{[10]
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- If you still feel the need to craft an angry reply, wait for 24 hours before sending it. Then, revisit your reply after a day to see if you still want to send it or not.

10

Give people the benefit of the doubt.

It’s hard to convey a positive tone in an email. If you read something a colleague sent you and you’re immediately offended, take a step back and re-read what they wrote. Try to ask yourself if there’s any other way the tone can be interpreted—is this email actually rude, or are they just being blunt?^{[11]
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- For instance, someone might write, “I need that report by tonight.” At first glance, this seems a little cold and unemotional. However, it’s not necessarily rude, it’s just factual and brief.

Warnings

Even though emojis and emoticons indicate tone, don't use them for a professional email.

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Don't send insulting or inflammatory emails, especially to a person you don't know very well.

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If the subject matter of your email is sensitive — ie. you have to give someone difficult feedback or you have a difficult request — or has any potential to be misunderstood, it's usually better to pick up the phone and speak with the person than it is to send an email.^{[13]
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Expert Source

Amber Rosenberg, PCC
Pacific Life Coach
Expert Interview. 8 July 2022.}

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