When I first went online well over a two decades ago, TANSTAAFL was the first acronym I ran into that I had no idea what it meant. (Don’t know either? Read on…)
Most know about the commonly used acronyms like LOL (Laugh Out Loud) and FYI (For Your Information). There are a ton of acronyms in existence that are not used as much (or used only within groups of folks who know what they mean) so to use them arbitrarily wouldn’t be a good idea.
Use Acronyms Sparingly
When using acronyms in your business email communications, do so sparingly. Most times it is preferred that you type out the phrase rather than risk the other side not knowing what you mean. Or worse, you appearing to be a lazy communicator.
Those who follow my blog, know the rule I use. “If you wouldn’t do it on business letterhead…”. That rule applies here too. Taking this approach helps to allow you stand out from the rest who will take shortcuts thereby minimizing the perception of professionalism and clarity in their business emails.
What you want to do is consider if the person other side will know what that specific acronym means. Otherwise what’s the point, right?
Be very careful when using acronyms with those you do not know very well. You do not know their level of tech savvy and even then you cannot assume they’ll understand your abbreviations. Acronyms are a very informal mode of communicating and when used without thought could be viewed as inappropriate or distract from the intent or meaning of your email message.
Consider the Recipient
Always keep in mind the intended party and situation. For example, you would never use acronyms when emailing a potential business contact. Nor would you use acronyms in an email that requires a sternly professional tone. Or how about when submitting a resume for employment? Nope; no acronyms should be used there either.
Acronyms Suitable for Business Emails
These are just a handful of acronyms I use and very rarely. Yes, there are probably others that can be used, but for me these are the only acronyms I have used and only in less formal communications with those I’ve communicated with for some time and know very well:
BTW = By The Way
TIA = Thanks In Advance
HTH = Hope This Helps
FWIW = For What It’s Worth
LOL = Laugh Out Loud
If you are not sure of what an acronym stands for, use my favorite site AcronymFinder.com.
BTW, TANSTAAFL stands for “There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch”. And boy does that apply to business success! HTH! 😉
Are there other acronyms you use in your business emails? Share below…