Critique from my old boss changed how I write emails

My manager at a marketing firm in Chicago told me I used too many filler words like just and actually. She said it made me sound unsure, even when I knew my stuff. I started cutting those out and being direct, and my replies got way fewer follow-up questions. Has anyone else had a boss give feedback that totally changed a basic habit?

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2 Comments

parker_palmer441d ago

Got a similar one from my old boss who said I write like I'm apologizing for existing. Cut out all the "sorry to bother you" and "just following up" stuff and suddenly people actually replied to my emails instead of ignoring them. Still catch myself typing "sorry" before a question sometimes and have to backspace it out lol.

danielnelson1d ago

You ever notice how "sorry" is like the first word we reach for when we're nervous? I had the same problem, it took me months to break the habit. What finally worked was rewording everything to sound more direct. Instead of "sorry to ask" I started saying "quick question" or "wanted to check on this." If I needed something urgent I wrote "following up on this since it's time sensitive" which feels way more honest than apologizing. People really do respond better when you just say what you mean without all the extra fluff. It feels weird at first but after a week or two it starts feeling natural. I literally put a post-it on my monitor that said "no sorry" to remind me until it stuck.