Whatever You Do, Don’t Start Your Email With This Word

The world of email etiquette is murky and confusing. But according to hotel magnate Jonathan M. Tisch there’s one hard and fast rule you should always stick to: never start it with the word “I”.

Image by Joe The Goat Farmer
In an interview with Adam Bryant from the New York Times, Tisch explained that he believes starting any correspondence, whether it’s a letter or email, with “I” is a huge no-no. He says it’s really off-putting to the recipient because it makes them think you’re just all self-centred and me, me, me. He said:

“My boss told me that whenever you’re writing a letter — and now it applies to emails today — never start a paragraph with the word ‘I,’ because that immediately sends a message that you are more important than the person that you’re communicating with.”

Of course these kinds of recommendations really do need to be taken with a pinch of salt. Granted some people might think starting an email with “I” spins the conversation to be all about you and starts it off on a bad foot. But at the same time remember when we weren’t meant to be writing “just” in an email because it did the exact opposite and made us seem all small and weak? Exactly.

What’s your favourite tried-and-test email opener?

[Via The Independent]

This article originally appeared on Lifehacker UK


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