chevron-down Created with Sketch Beta.
July 27, 2017 Practice Points

Three Easily Avoidable Email Mistakes

Take a second before you hit send.

By Jessica Pieri

A recent article published by Forbes discussed three email mistakes that can make you look unprofessional. We have all seen these mistakes and they are easily avoidable. In a fast-paced world take a second before you hit send on that email and make sure you aren’t making one of these three mistakes.

  1. Forgetting to attach the document. We have all seen that email come in with no attachment and the subsequent email apologizing and hopefully sending the attachment. This is easy to catch with just a few seconds’ pause to check before hitting send, but can make a difference especially if emailing a client.
  2. Not writing succinctly or sending multiple emails in a row. In a world where everyone is constantly having their email boxes flooded, sending a long email that doesn’t get to the point, or sending multiple emails in a row when one could do, are both easy ways to irritate your reader and are both easily avoidable. Take time to compile your thoughts before starting to write; the little time up front will pay off in the end. That time will help to make sure you include all your thoughts in one email, and get to your point quickly and clearly. Also, take the time to read back over your email; this is an easy way to catch yourself if you have gotten too lengthy or missed something you wanted to include.
  3. Spelling the recipient’s name wrong. It takes only a few seconds to check, but if you make the mistake, it is right there at the top of the email for the recipient to see.

These three common mistakes have one solution in common: Take your time. It’s easy to rush to send out emails, but those few extra seconds could cost you down the road. So slow down and remember these three common mistakes, so you won’t make them next time you hit send.


– Jessica Pieri


Copyright © 2017, American Bar Association. All rights reserved. This information or any portion thereof may not be copied or disseminated in any form or by any means or downloaded or stored in an electronic database or retrieval system without the express written consent of the American Bar Association. The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the American Bar Association, the Section of Litigation, this committee, or the employer(s) of the author(s).