Are you Always Over-explaining in Your Emails?

Five tips for business professionals when English is not your first language

As a non-native English speaker, do you find it challenging to write succinct and clear emails to your colleagues and clients? If so, you’re not alone, it is a common occurrence among business professionals. Here are five tips to help write that compelling and succinct email.

Tip #1 Pay Attention to Your Introductions

A common misstep that non-native English speakers tend to make when drafting emails is using an improper greeting. Depending on whom your email is intended for, your greeting should be both natural and business professional. Phrases like “Hi” and “Hello” are generally accepted greetings. “Dear” tends to be used for more formal communications to someone you don’t know.

I recommend refraining from using phrases like “Dear Sirs/Madams,” as this common greeting is used by spammers or suspicious emails. This style of an overly formal greeting is usually a flag for native English speakers to assume your email is spam.

Tip #2 Understand the use of English Language Variants

Another common mistake made in written communication is confusion around British English and American English variants. Using these two variants incorrectly (or even interchangeably in the same communications) can be jarring. It indicates to the reader that you don’t have a firm grasp of the English language.

Depending on where you live, there are slight nuances in the spellings and use of specific English words. For example - the British English version of “neighbours” is amended to “neighbors,” in American English. While both spellings are correct, misusing these English variants can impact the effectiveness of your written communications. British English is commonly accepted in most English-speaking countries such as Britain, Australia, and Canada, while American English is almost exclusively used in the United States.

If you’d like to learn more about the differences between British and American English, I highly recommend this learning guide from OxfordInternationalEnglish.com.

Tip #3 Succinct, Short Sentences

Long, difficult-to-follow emails are a problem for many in the business world, even for those whose first language is English.

These types of redundant emails are actually a common problem for many business professionals. According to this Forbes article, “each email communication is your opportunity to advocate for yourself and get closer to your goals.” In short, every email you send is an opportunity to further your relationship with the receiver. These relationships can help you achieve your goals as you pursue your career.

Email communication is best used when the writing is brief and to the point. Be sure to proofread all of your written communications to eliminate unnecessary words such as “just”, “however” and “very”.

Be sure your email tone is professional and adjusted to the needs of your audience. I recommend rereading your email from the perspective of the person who is receiving it.   As you do, ask yourself, “Did I use first-person language too often? Does my succinct tone border on being curt? Could any phrases be taken the wrong way?”

Remember that email communication does not allow for in-person social cues, so it is important to consider the tone of your written communications. Focusing too much on grammatical elements in your writing can often come across as being too formal or too impersonal.

Tip #4 Leverage Your Subject Line Effectively

Another common mistake is not using email subject lines appropriately. You need to give your email subject line the same time and attention as the content in the body of your email. Email subject lines need to be comprehensive enough to give the reader a preview of your email, but brief enough to be scannable in a busy inbox.  

Tip #5 Ending your Email - Adjust for Formality

As with greetings, email signoffs are another common place where you may run into issues. Your email goodbye should be largely determined by your relationship with the person to whom you are writing. to. For colleagues and clients with whom you are personally familiar, the best way to end your email would be “Thanks” or “Thank you”. For a more formal farewell, consider using “Best regards” or “Sincerely”.

Schedule a 30 Minute Complimentary Meeting to meet Sandra via phone or video. Find out if you both are a good fit to work together. Come to the call with your questions and what business communications challenges you’d like to get help with.