No doubt about it if you bold text in e-mail you are being bold! Don’t underestimate how bolding certain words or sentences can make an otherwise benign statement one with a major point. To make the extra effort to bold only certain terms or phrases certainly makes the point of making a point.
Then, if you format that bolded word or sentence into red text — Yikes! Be sure that is the tone you want to relay. To say after the fact that you “didn’t mean it that way” simply implies you are not willing to stand behind your comments and what you did in fact mean to say when you composed that e-mail. Otherwise why would you have taken the extra time and effort to bold and red those specific words?
If you think about it, bolding many times is used in emotionally charged e-mails to make sure the other side is clear about how strongly the writer feels at that point in time. If you find you are bolding several portions of an e-mail or turning text red because you do in fact want to make a point, why not wait until the next morning to see if you still feel as strongly? More times than not the other side will over emphasize your emphasis!
Instead of relying on formatting for emphasis, build your vocabulary to use adjectives and verbs that relay the specific emphasis you desire. You’ll not only avoid misunderstandings but you will provide the impression that you are a profession that has the ability and skills to communicate with clarity.
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