Most people write email. This is probably the main form of professional communication.
Typically we write whatever comes to mind and send it. After all, we have to communicate with others, so no problem. Right?
But email is dangerous!
Why?
Because people make judgments about you based on your email communications. It is possible to sabotage your professional career because of poorly written or emotionally charged emails.
Much has been written addressing the pitfalls to avoid in writing email.
Today my message is simple.
Use good grammar when writing email.
Edit email carefully before sending.
Neoplasms! These get so many of us.
Than versus then. Their versus there. Subject, verb agreement. Dangling modifiers. All that stuff in school that was soooo boring. It can come back to bite you. Your ability to address your colleagues grammatically correctly (adverbs!) is a reflection on your ability to do your job – that is how others will perceive you. If your grammar is poor, people will notice it – they might even talk about you with others and have a good laugh.
Edit your sentences. Have someone edit important emails before sending. If you are weak grammatically, brush up by reading online material. It really can make a huge difference in your career. Put another way, writing good emails will likely not be the cause of career advancement, but writing poor emails can certainly limit career advancement.
Remember that your email is a projection of your image.
Oh…this goes for texting as well.
