My boss told me my emails sounded angry and I had to fix that

I got pulled aside after a team meeting 3 months ago and my manager said people were getting defensive when they read my emails. I thought I was being direct and efficient but she pointed out I never used words like "please" or "thanks" and my tone came off as demanding. So I started adding a soft opener like "Hope you're having a good morning" and signing off with "Appreciate your help on this." It felt fake at first but within a week people started responding faster and with more info. I also cut out all caps for emphasis and stopped using multiple exclamation points. Now I actually read my drafts out loud before sending to hear how they sound. Has anyone else had to completely rethink how they talk to coworkers in writing?

3 comments

3 Comments

simonl1122d ago

Made the same mistake. Thought being direct meant being blunt. Turns out people don't like reading emails that sound like their boss is about to fire them at any second. Started adding "hope all is well" and suddenly my inbox stopped being a war zone. The kicker? My buddy still writes emails like he's ordering a hitman. Gets zero replies.

abby_black22d ago

I just had a friend who went through this exact thing and it changed everything for him.

jordan_young22d agoMost Upvoted

Abby's right, that shift in how you open and close your emails rewires how people perceive you. Reading drafts out loud is the cheat code because you catch the tone before it hits someone else's inbox.