This is the Business English Podcast, Episode 125.
Avoid these four Business English email gaffes.
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Hey Michelle, what's shakin'? Hey, Lindsay, not too much.
How are you? Oh, everything's good over here.
I am excited to get into another awesome episode of Business English.
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It's good stuff. Absolutely. Yes, we are here for you.
So let's talk about email, Lindsay. Do you feel confident writing business emails?
Oh, do I feel confident writing business emails?
I usually do. I think I try to keep up on the norms, like the gaffes that I try not to make myself.
Yeah, I think I'm pretty good with striking that tone between casual and formal, semi-formal.
Yeah, yeah. yeah right and it's it always depends who you're writing to as well like if you're writing to me we might write differently than if you're writing to a potential sponsor or something like that right it's it's always it's always different um but yeah so today we are going to talk up with an idea you came up with uh we're going to talk about annoying corporate email habits um why did you want to talk about this today Well, someone in my life has a coworker that tends to use ellipses, like way overuses them in, I guess, business emails and also text.
Like they use Teams and I'm sure a lot of our listeners use Teams as an alternative to Slack, like a messaging, right?
An internal messaging system all day on Teams.
She's always using these ellipses. And what do ellipses mean to you?
Like, what is the impression you get when you see someone putting ellipses after a word?
Yeah, I feel like it's like a little mysterious or maybe rude, but more so like something's not like the thought isn't finished.
Like there's some sort of... yes it's just something's incomplete right and it's just weird something's pending like something's coming yeah wait to hear more right it definitely creates it means unknown like something's unknown something's mysterious could be bad could be good usually i think more negative but again just to make sure our listeners know what are ellipses michelle yes They are the three dots, three periods, right?
Dot, dot, dot. Hi, dot, dot, dot. Like, what?
Yes. So this particular coworker is using this in ways that just make no sense.
Like what she's saying should be ended with a period or a question mark, not an ellipsis.
I wonder why she does it if it's just... i have a feeling i've never seen these emails i've only heard complaining about them but i have a feeling that she's looking for a response like she's trying to say i'm open to a response like she's trying to say we're in conversation here so what are you going to say next i have a feeling but it comes off as something's coming something mysterious That's hysterical.
Oh my goodness. Yeah, yeah. I can see that, especially if you do it all the time.
But we're going to talk more about some irritating email habits in this episode.
But guys, first, we had an episode of All Ears English, our other podcast, episode 1976.
Go on, listen to this one. So this is three benefits of like with linguist Valerie Friedland.
That was with Aubrey, right? Aubrey did this great interview.
Yes, exactly. And that's really related to this one because we're kind of talking about fillers in a way, right?
Both ellipses in this case and using like is kind of in a way a filler.
But I love that episode because Valerie and Aubrey really got down to the heart of, hey, like does have some uses.
There are certain strategic reasons that native speakers drop like into their conversation.
So if you don't listen to All Ears English, go and open the search bar right now, wherever you're listening, type in All Ears English and hit that follow button.
Right, Michelle? Yes. Yes. And I have to say that I'm starting to notice my son picking up some of some speaking habits and I'm starting to hear like, and I just, oh no, like, you know, he'll be like, oh, just like.
Yeah. I mean, yeah. I mean, like you should listen to that episode.
You listen to it, right? Yeah. I actually haven't yet, to be honest, but I know that it was such an intriguing topic that I want to listen to it.
Yeah, I mean, there are things we can do to train ourselves out of it.
And that's always all of us could probably work on that.
But yeah, just just listen to the episode.
I will. Yeah, I will. Okay. Right, so what, Michelle, where do we go next?
What do you think? Oh, okay. So, all right.
So what's another thing that's annoying?
So this is one that I find very irritating.
Okay. If you ask somebody like a couple of questions or there are a couple of points in your email that you bring up and they don't respond to all of them.
Totally agree. Oh man, oh man, that's annoying.
I mean, like, yeah. So have you had this happen where you like send, oh, and this and this, and they only answer one question or something.
Yes, this fires me up. It fires me up. And then I have to come back and say, OK, what about here's number one?
Like I have to go then list out my questions, which starts to feel a little condescending, which I don't like that.
So be sure. So the takeaway is be sure to answer all the questions that are asked.
Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Go ahead. Go ahead. I was going to say, if you can't answer one question, say, I know you're asking this.
I'll get back to you on this or I'm researching this.
I'm checking on this. Right. Right. Because I feel when I mean, it happens a lot.
Like, I mean, not even just in not not not not actually necessarily in work.
I'm actually thinking like things that I am more in my personal life, actually, or things with my son's. or like certain things where somebody will only respond to one question.
And it makes you feel like you weren't heard.
It makes you feel like the person doesn't care.
And then you have to find a way to ask again.
And then it's just putting this pressure on yourself like, well, did they not answer because they don't know?
Did they not answer because they didn't see the question?
Like now what do I do? And I find that's one of the most uncomfortable situations to be in.
It's a very good point, Michelle. I hadn't thought about that one as being an annoying email habit, but it really is because think about it in person.
If someone straight out asked you two things, two or three things in person and they were making eye contact with you, you would have to answer them or they would come back.
Oh, what about this thing I asked at the beginning?
You couldn't just avoid it. But because email is so indirect, I think maybe people just don't want to inconvenience themselves sometimes. which is so annoying.
I'm having this issue going back and forth with lawyers this spring quite a bit.
And when you're paying a lawyer, you want all your answers.
Yes, you certainly, you certainly do. So, you know, it's funny this one.
Yeah. So this habit is actually more of a, something not that you're not doing.
That's the annoying thing and not answering all the questions.
So always read, you know, really pay attention to what you're reading.
And yeah, I don't know. I think it makes it seem like the person thinks they're too important to answer all of the questions.
Yeah, it's not a good thing. I mean, we don't want to lose thoroughness.
Being thorough is hard, right? It's taxing.
It uses brain calories. But we need to be thorough to do a good job in our professional lives.
So let's be thorough. Let's not let that go out the window with technology and the internet and AI.
Let's make sure we stay thorough. Right, right.
And I think that I want, I'd like to do a follow up on this on how if somebody hasn't answered all your questions, like, how do you?
Yeah, like, what can you write? Like, what can you say then?
So I think we'll do a follow up on that.
Good. OK, is there another annoying thing that we want to avoid by email?
Well, I think one word responses. Yeah, this this to me can sound rude if you say things like, OK, or K, that's the worst one.
And I mean, I guess sure is OK. Like sure is a little bit softer, but I don't know.
I just I I think I don't know. Yeah. So I feel you on this one.
I think what we can do is if, you know, if someone just said like you and I, when we arrange our recording times, you know, we confirm that, you know, today 8 a.m. would work.
And, you know, a final response could be instead of just sure, it could be sure.
Sounds great. So you then add a little something more to kind of reassure that there's no passive aggressiveness going on, that you are really OK with the arrangement.
Right. Yeah. Lindsay, now as a joke, I'm going to start answering just as a joke.
I'm going to answer your emails. I'll be waiting for it.
Are we doing this? I'm just going to say, okay.
And you'll know that that's my joke. Yeah, yeah.
Anyway, but yeah, I actually just thought of another one.
Uh-oh. And I do this, but maybe this is a whole other topic.
Okay. But... yeah i i i remember with like the global pandemic a lot of people kind of making fun of this when you say at the beginning of the email like i hope all is well with you and yeah and maybe we should do something more about like um natural ways to start emails because yes but i do that one and and i always feel like oh is that annoying because i don't know or do you just jump into it and what do you think yeah well something comes up so i just finished reading uh This book, well, I haven't actually finished it.
The guy that I interviewed, Matt Abrahams, a professor at Stanford, his book is called Think Faster, Talk Smarter.
His guest episode where he'll talk about this is coming out in September on All Ears English podcast.
So you guys should be on that show. But he talks in this book about heuristics, right?
Heuristics are just phrases that are just kind of cliches, but they're just accepted socially.
I think they're one step up from cliches.
Something like, I hope you're doing well.
Or I hope you had a great weekend when you open an email.
And that a lot of times what we need to do is we need to learn the heuristics and then kind of drop them.
But your question is, what do we say instead?
Like it's kind of sharp just to get right into the thing.
Right. Right. But you feel you're using a heuristic.
You're using kind of a cliche. Right. And then there's the added layer of the pandemic.
I hope all is well. Well, not all. All is not well during the global pandemic. that's another layer.
Right, right. I feel like I read that somewhere.
I can't remember. But it's like, yeah, just like, I hope all is well.
Yeah. I think another day, we should get into heuristics.
And you know, how do we learn them? How do our listeners learn them and then drop them?
Very interesting topic. Yeah. Because sometimes I'll find myself writing an email.
And then I'll like kind of go through and I'll see that I wrote hope all is well, or like hope you're doing well.
And then I just think like, What do I do with this?
Yeah. It's like, I don't want to completely remove it.
I want to open up nicely, but it just sometimes feels like a little silly.
I say it all the time too. I start almost all my emails like that.
It's true. It's incredible. Do you feel like a little bit funny?
Sometimes I think about it. Yeah. But I don't know what else to do.
So we'll explore that in another one. Anyway, so that was one.
Maybe annoying, maybe not annoying, but we'll get more into it.
And Lindsay, what's another one? Well, I like this one, so I don't like it, but I think it's a good one.
Too many emojis, right? So using too many emojis, especially in a work email, it's immature.
It kind of shows you're not taking things seriously.
I think there is a place, and I think we've talked about this before, like people using Teams to drop a GIF, right?
Like a GIF. That can be fun. That's building relationships.
But just flat out like emojis all the time feels like you're writing with a 14-year-old.
Right. Yeah. Right. Right. Right. Exactly.
So we did do an emoji episode. I'm not sure if it was here.
Allers English. I think it was Allers English.
Yeah. Yeah. But guys, type in the search bar wherever you listen emoji and you should be able to find something.
But yeah. So that's another one. Yep. Abercrombie's viral denim sale is back.
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Exclusions apply. See details online. Okay, Michelle.
So let's see, which ones do we find most irritating?
What about you? Well, for me, it's the people not responding to all of my questions.
So what about you? Well, the one I find the most hilarious is the ellipses because it's a real example.
And it's just funny. It's so funny. Just it's it's almost like material for a comedian.
Like, it's just so good. Yeah. But most annoying.
Yeah, I think obviously emojis could be annoying because I want to do business with someone at my level.
And I think people automatically make themselves seem kind of like silly or not serious when they do that.
Right. You know, it's interesting. I was just thinking because sometimes I want to write an emoji to you.
Yeah. Well, you can do that, like selectively using them.
It's okay. Right. And sometimes I do, but you know what's interesting?
I'd have to go through our texts. I feel like when you and I text, we text more casually than when we email.
Yeah. maybe yeah because i think i've used some emojis with you or like i don't know i think yeah maybe just because the reasons that we text would be more like oh like something happened like i can't sign in online or something it's a little more yeah casual not like yeah yeah yeah so it's kind of interesting i have to i'd have to look through so it's kind of funny I think on text, it's a little bit different, right?
So today's emailing, texting is a little different.
People have a texting personality. Like some people put emojis in every single text and some people don't use them at all.
I'm still using the old school way of making an emoji, which is like the parentheses and the smile.
Because sometimes I don't know how to add that smiley face.
I can't figure it out. Sometimes I do that, too.
Sometimes I do that, too. Sometimes I don't know.
It's kind of it brings me. It's nostalgic.
It brings me back to the good old. Yeah.
Yeah. I mean, like last night I got a text from my stepbrother in law and he said, oh, I heard about you on Freakonomics radio.
You're famous. And he had heard our promotion on there. and he said oh i had to pinch myself and i said yeah that must have been trippy and for him like he's 22 uh you know it was appropriate to use a little like smiley face right like he's kind of young and funny so that kind of it just depends on who you're texting to or what your personality is yeah right and then people yeah like some people like um someone I know who I really, really like.
She always she'll she'll like message things like in all caps, but in like a cute way, like it's so funny.
Like she just seems like really excited all the time.
Well, that's another that's another good one we could have added today, Michelle, in emailing.
If you're doing that, definitely that means you're screaming at the person.
Right. Right. So don't do that. So, yeah.
Yeah. So good. So any final points here, Michelle, that we want our listeners to come away with?
Well, guys, decide what is your email or your texting personality?
How do you want to be seen? Because this can bleed into how we're seen in person as well.
Yes. You know, the people who I know who don't answer all the questions... uh, I feel like it bleeds it.
Actually, that's the one that makes me crazy.
Yeah. That's the one I hate the most. Yeah.
So yeah. So yeah, you can tell I'm very passionate about this.
Um, so, you know, but I think the other thing is to put more effort into your email than you think is necessary, because I think it does make a difference and people who you are on your emails, on your texts impacts, how people see you outside of that.
Yeah, 100%. You know, thoroughness, being thorough, being diligent, like just kind of being professional.
Like this is how we do it. So today we've shown you guys three or four things to avoid.
If you have any questions, send your questions in.
Michelle, you want to give your email so they can email you any questions?
Go for it. Michelle, M-I-C-H-E-L-L-E at allearsenglish.com.
Yes, good stuff. So send us your questions.
And remember, you know, sometimes there are things we need to do to make sure we get to that connection.
And these are some norms of emailing in the business world that we need to get to so that then we get on the phone or we get in person with the person or on Zoom and then we're building that connection.
But you need to clear the way for connection.
Yes, I love it. All right. Well, this was a lot of fun.
Guys, thanks you for listening. And I will talk.
We will talk to you soon. Dot, dot, dot.
Dot, dot, dot. I love it. All right, Michelle, I'll talk to you soon.
Have a good one. Bye. Bye. Bye. Thank you for listening to Business English, a podcast just for you, the high achieving global professional.
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