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Catherine Harrison
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111
10/02/20 at 8PM UTC
in
Career

3 worst email mistakes even seasoned professionals make (and how to fix them)

Whether you dread them or love them, emails help you get the job done. And since we use email so often at work, it's easy to make a mistake every once in a while. Some are more harmful than others. Here are 3 of the worst email mistakes, and how to fix them. 1. Bad spelling and grammar. You're in a rush or maybe you're just unsure of what "there" to use. Either way, you're sending a bad message emails with bad spelling and grammar. How to fix it: Download an add-on like "Grammarly" to help you check your emails as you're writing them! 2. Forgetting to attach an attachment. When sending back and forth documents, it's easy to forget to attach something every once in a while. But forgetting to attach can annoy the other person and make it that much longer to get the paperwork back. How to fix it: If you use Microsoft Outlook, writing the word "attached" will prompt a message if you try to send the email without an attachment. If you don't use Outlook, try enabling delay send so you can catch your mistake and undo send. 3. Forgetting to reply! Missing an email can make you miss a deadline or miss out on an important update or opportunity. How to fix it: Change your inbox strategy. Don't read emails until you've responded to them — or if you need to read them and respond later, mark them as unread once you're done. Organize emails in a way that works for you! Doing a quick inbox review at the start and end of the day will definitely give you piece of mind. What's the worst email mistake you've made? What are your strategies for avoiding email mistakes?

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Elizabeth Marie
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189
Scientist and M.B.A. Candidate
10/07/20 at 11:52PM UTC
So, not a mistake I’ve made but maybe some advice and any input appreciated. Acronyms in professional emails have got to go. I have someone above me who makes requests using the high importance button on top of PLS and THX. Sometimes it just seems so rude even though they are not intending to be. Not sure how to have this person fix the behavior but it certainly is weird and definitely made me feel uncomfortable when I started working with the person. Now I have people asking me what EOB and EOD mean, which I figured out ;) But they didn’t know what he meant so therefore the request was not met by the end of the day... Anyone else deal with a chronic acronym user?
Tyra
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97
Creativity, Strategy, Process
10/07/20 at 2:29AM UTC
One mistake that I've made is sending email that I out sent out an email with awkward composition. Many times, when I do not have a trusted colleague around to read my emails, I read the email out loud -- I can instantly identify bad/awkward composition.
Shweta Brahmakshatriya
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51
Project Management Professional from India
10/07/20 at 2:20AM UTC
I have faced all the above and may other issues...like, getting the name wrong, sometimes when sending the email via your phone, you need to be super careful about auto correct, that changes a lot.
Anonymous
10/06/20 at 10:49PM UTC
I once responded to an email from a recruiter thinking their last name was their first name, since the contact appeared as “, ”. Therefore, another tip is to double check the name in your greeting when you respond to a new contact.
Robin Hardman
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55
Employee comms and "great workplace" expert
10/06/20 at 8:48PM UTC
In the days before Outlook posted an alert if you tried to send an email without the attachment, I developed a simple habit that made a huge difference--and that I use to this day. After absent-mindedly forgetting attachments on a regular basis, I made a new policy: I insert the attachment before doing anything else--before writing the body of the email and before addressing it. In fact, to help avoid the other mistakes mentioned above, when creating or forwarding a new email (rather than replying) I always write the address last. This helps me avoid not only forgetting attachments but other hasty mistakes--it's a way of putting on the brakes before hitting "send."
Miranda Fairrow
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74
Newly Certified Project Manager
10/13/20 at 2:30AM UTC
I wait to put the email address too! I do it when I have attachments and if I'm writing a highly important email. I wouldn't want to accidentally send a half composed draft on accident!
Tabitha Jean Naylor
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55
Founder of TabithaNaylor.com and WEcanmag.com
10/06/20 at 8:43PM UTC
I would also like to add responding to emails all hours of the day and night, since it sets a precedent that people then come to expect of you. This can be solved by using an email scheduler. Often times, I work pretty late, but don't want my clients expecting it.  So, if something comes in and I'm still working, I'll type out a response - and then schedule it to go out during normal business hours the following day.  This has helped to eliminate people thinking that I am available 24/7, which has reduced my stress and anxiety considerably.

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