Stay Away from Sarcasm in Business E-mail

Sarcasm in e-mail most times is perceived as being rude or terse. And, if you are not careful, that sarcasm can be amplified by a power of 10! See, based on the situation and the emotions involved, the recipient may very well read into your sarcasm meaning that you did not intend or much more than you intended.

You could send that sarcastic comment to 5 different contacts and find that each instilled a different level of meaning to your sarcastic comment based on their relationship with you or the topic at hand. Why take that type of risk?

Remember when joking via sarcasm you need to include a to ensure the other side knows you are kidding. Otherwise, you will be taken seriously. Many who resort to sarcasm forget these 3 little keystrokes that include a “winky” that can prevent many a misunderstanding.

In professional communications, sarcasm for the most part should be completely avoided. I’ve yet to see a situation where using sarcasm enhanced a situation. Instead it either reflected a lack of seriousness or “rubbed salt in the wound.” There is no place for that in business.

If you find you are being sarcastic in an e-mail, maybe it’s best you wait until the next day to see if you feel the same, or if your sense of humor is something that you know will be appreciated by the other side.