Common Email Errors to Avoid

For professionals in all industries, email is one of the most-common modes of communication. Each email you send tells colleagues and contacts a great deal about your professionalism, writing abilities and commitment to perfection. By avoiding common email errors, you can prevent misunderstandings and cultivate a positive impression.

Sending Typos and Misspellings

An email is a professional message, no matter how informal it may seem. One common email error is the failure to proofread your messages before hitting send. In the age of tiny smartphone keyboards, a single error may be acceptable; a pattern of errors, on the other hand, indicates a lack of awareness or a lazy attitude toward work-related communication. Most devices feature a built-in spell-check tool that underlines or highlights potentially misspelled words. Use the tool to catch obvious misspellings and typos, and proofread each message. If you know you are prone to common errors, such as using "your" in place of "you're," ask a trusted colleague to read important emails before you send them off.

Choosing Incorrect Addressees

Email is a near-instant process; once you send a message, it is usually impossible to take it back. Sending an email to the wrong recipient is one of the most-common errors, particularly when the text contains inflammatory or sensitive information. Before you click the Send button, double-check the addresses in the To field, and verify that you have not selected to reply all or forward the message.

Ignoring Previous Messages

In some companies, an email exchange can go on for days or weeks. In a group setting, one irritating-yet-common error happens when a person asks a question that has already been answered. Whether you are new to the email chain or you've been participating since the beginning, take time to read through the previous messages before sending yet another email to everyone in the group. This simple step saves time for everyone involved, cuts down on your emails, and results in a more concise conversation.

Sending Broken Links

Links open up a minefield of potential email errors. If you accidentally delete the last character or type in a superfluous letter, the link breaks and wastes the recipient's time. If your device's copy function doesn't complete, you run the risk of pasting in the last copied item, which might be embarrassing or sensitive. Broken or incorrect links are easy to miss, even when you proofread the rest of the email. Instead of skipping over links, click on them, and verify that the linked page is functioning and correct.

As you become accustomed to locating and correcting common errors in email messages, the process can feel cumbersome and time-consuming. In the long run, however, avoiding email errors saves time by ensuring that each message communicates efficiently on the first try.

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