In my view, there is no place for typing in all caps or using formatting to reflect emphasis in business emails. There is always an alternative in your choice of verbiage that can get your point across with the intended importance. Using all caps is perceived by many as yelling or shouting and certainly is not a professional way to communicate.
Same goes for when you are marketing your business in forums, discussion boards and on Blogs. Many online forums now allow users to post messages with added smileys, and to format their text for font, size and color. For business efforts, this is clearly a situation of just because you can doesn’t mean you do. Let your command of the written word get your point across without having to use formatting to do so for you.
Intent is intent. Caps means yelling, making things bigger, bolder and in red type would indicate a strong comment or trying to make a point. If you ask anyone to read out loud an email with such formatting, they will almost always raise their voice when reading capped or larger, bolder, red text. When you use such tactics you are leaving the level of emphasis to be determined by the other side — and that’s risky at best.
Learning how to communicate without formatting is a true skill and one few make much effort to hone. To be able to communicate with clarity simply by the words you choose and how you choose to use them without relying on bolding, font size, caps or colors is the true sign of a skilled communicator and a true professional.
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Often kids or immature people use caps or smileys excessively (not I said “excessively”). If you do the same in formal, professional situations, you will be seen as immature and not be taken seriously, if at all.
A very good writer will be able to command any response they want to illicit, and this is almost 100% based on the quality of words you write and the flow of the sentences you create. This skill takes time to develop but it can be done. All of it can be done without capitalizing every letter and using a billion or so smileys =).
Hey, Jamie:
Thank you for stopping by! Perfectly put! It’s all about the words you choose and how you choose to use them. Making this effort negates the need for smilies, formatting or excessive punctuation.
I do use a winkey on occasion. It is usually when I am giving someone constructive criticism so that it is taken that way — or cracking a joke with someone I know very well.
Once again, we go back to your business e-mail being about perception. If you wouldn’t do it on business letterhead — don’t do it in business e-mail and you’ll never go wrong!
At your service,
Judith
Great article Judith. And excellently said Jamie. Agree completely with both of you. In the position I worked earlier I had deal with many e-mails. From many people. Ranging from 20 years and above. A fact that I saw was in this e-mails were that most of the young people tend to use a lot of smileys. As well as too many jokes. which really didn’t amuse me as they were official e-mails. Most of the younger generation need to differentiate official e-mails and personal e-mails as in letters.
Hey, Rebecca:
Thanks for your comments! When it comes to business, smileys and jokes have to be used sparingly (if at all) and with great discretion. The younger generation, as you call them, hasn’t had any training in business writing or having typing classes available to them as was common in the past to be able to hone these skills. This is where some training or guidelines so that everyone is on the same page and knows what is expected of them when e-mailing on business matters would be prudent and helpful. To just hire folks and let them do what they please or are comfortable with when at the company keyboard is risky at best.
Communicating with the written word is a skill that is worked on for perpetuity. I am constantly working on how to best communicate my intent and the tone I want to portray accurately — and I never use formatting. If one is serious about business success and in being perceived as a credible, legitimate pro in their field, to communicate as you do with family and friends can cause to not be taken a seriously.
At your service,
Judith
What is the origin of idea that caps in e-mails is the same as shouting? Your idea that emphasis can be communicated with proper choice of words is interesting, but the reality is that you are relying heavily on the intelligence and/or attention of the reader to adequately interpret that emphasis or, in some cases, to even notice it. Emphasis is just that – emphasis. Using caps should not imply any particular level of emphasis, only that emphasis is needed. Interestingly enough, the people who respond to caps in an e-mail with “why are you yelling at me?” are usually the same people that have received the same message in previous communications and simply ignored it. Capital letters provide a very simple way to provide emphasis and should not be taken as offensive!
Hey, Jeff:
Thanks for stopping by! The concept of caps as yelling was established way before most were even online because in the majority of cases when caps were used for emphasis, one would be raising their voice if speaking the words as they were typed. Next time you use caps — read your message out loud. Do you raise your voice? If not what is the point of the caps?
And the fact is there are levels of emphasis. To claim that all caps is “just emphasis” is not the reality of how typing certain words in all caps is perceived. So much depends on the overall tone of your e-mail, what you said before using caps, the situation at hand, the relationship dynamics with the individual you are communicating with. We cannot control the level of emphasis as perceived by the other side — that’s out of our control to control, so why take the risk?
The meaning of a word is not subjective — a definition is a definition. But, how you choose to format that word (caps, italics, red font) all will leave the level of emphasis or interpretation up to the reader and you’ve lost control of your message. To think that it is too much to ask that those who communicate with the written work (e-mail) have a vocabulary sufficient enough to relay their specific message, is something I’m not buying into. You don’t have to use obscure verbiage — simply carefully chosen specific words that relay your intent and tone accurately.
Just know if you choose to use all caps, which is clearly a more aggressive approach, to make a point — your point will be well taken!
At your service,
Judith
I do not disagree that email requires better writing skills and a higher level of concentration than is typically used. But I disagree on the use of formatting in email correspondence.
When people used paper memos to convey complex information and emails were used for quick snippets, the guidance on not using email formatting to communicate emphasis was appropriate. However, memos are an endangered species. Formal memos are being replaced with emails containing a lot of information.
Because emails are now being used for the transmittal of complex or dense packets of information, appropriate formatting is quickly becoming a necessity. Appropriate formatting allows the reader quicker recognition of key ideas and helps focus on required actions. The important word here is “appropriate”. If used to excess, formatting makes an email to busy to read.
Additionally, formatting can be used in a softer manner than all caps or a hard bold. For example, the use of an italicized bold is softer than the use of just a bold text. Another example: changing to a sans serif style in contrast to a serif style text is a format change that can add emphasis without shouting.
The bottom line is this: do what you need to do to make emails more effective at communicating the required information, while advancing appropriate business relationships.
P.S. The worst aspect of using all-caps is that it is wickedly irritating to read. The brain needs to be able to quickly differentiate letters for effective reading. Using all-caps removes many of the differentiating characteristics of lower case letters.
A similar problem results from using only one space after sentances instead of the standard 2 spaces. The break in even spacing helps the brain differentiate sentances and recognize discrete thoughts. If you don’t believe this, try reading a long paragraph that is written with only one space between sentances.
Hey, Susan:
Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your point of view with my visitors! I hope everyone will take the time to read your comments and put them to work in their day to day business e-mail communications.
Excellent stuff!
Being a professional emailer means using more mature words and not using faces or animated characters.
Hey, Janice:
But wouldn’t being a professional mean you also capitalize your name when participating online?
Maybe you want to comment on my post from today?
Do You Use Emoticons in Business E-mail?