Let’s face it – everyone makes mistakes, and no one is perfect. However, very often email is your first point of contact with new clients or colleagues, so doesn’t it make sense that we should make an effort to make it a great first impression? Misplaced commas or apostrophes can confuse your reader, and so can long rambling sentences.

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“Oh come on, Shirley, is our punctuation that important? Surely we can still get the message across despite a couple of commas in the wrong place?”

This is a question I’m often asked. Well let me ask you: do you set high standards for yourself in terms of your appearance? Do you expect high standards from your staff in your company, especially when greeting and meeting clients? Well surely setting high standards also covers the way we present ourselves in writing, too? I believe it should.

How Can Poor Writing Affect Your First Impression?

Imagine a client is contacting you for the first time. They enquire about your services and rates, plus more details about your company. You reply with an email that is sloppy and poorly punctuated. Your potential client is confused by your response, and he has a hard time understanding what some of your sentences really mean and how you can help him.

This is not too far-fetched either. It could happen, and it could happen to you! Let’s look at three small, but very significant, writing mistakes that could ruin the first impressions you make, and damage your reputation.

1. Poor Sentence Structure
   Forming complete thoughts in your writing is the foundation to sending effective messages. Let’s go back to basics here:

   a sentence = a complete thought = a subject and a verb

   Your complete thought, or sentence, should always end with a full stop. If you wish to join two closely related sentences, you need to use a comma with the words ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘so’, ‘as’ or ‘yet’.

   Examples:
   ✗ Mark went to the meeting, he genuinely enjoyed it.
   ✓Mark went to the meeting, and he genuinely enjoyed it.

   ✗ Jill didn’t go to the meeting, she was incredibly ill.
   ✓ Jill didn’t go to the meeting, as she was incredibly ill.

   ✗ Linda was excited about the meeting, she failed to arrive on time.
   ✓ Linda was excited about the meeting, but she failed to arrive on time.

   ✗ Daniel was the meeting chair, he had a big responsibility.
   ✓ Daniel was the meeting chair, so he had a big responsibility.

   Tip: I strongly recommend that you read everything out loud before you hit ‘send’. Say it as though you are speaking to your reader. Once you are able to hear the intonation of your message, it should be clear if you have put punctuation in the right, or wrong, place!

2. Misplaced Or Missing Commas
   If you put a comma in the wrong place, your reader could be pausing and putting emphasis on the wrong part of the sentence. Not only will this be confusing but it is also more likely to create misunderstanding. The receiver may just toss your message in the bin if they have to spend too long trying to figure out exactly what you mean. Or more likely the reader will have to respond asking you questions to clarify, and this will result in what I call ‘email ping-pong’, where there is a long series of back-and-forth emails because you didn’t get the message right the first time.

   Here are a few ways you can use a comma:

   a) Between two separate adjectives. For example:
   She has a bubbly, outgoing personality.
   I don’t enjoy the cold, damp, wet weather in England in winter.

   b) To separate words or phrases in a list. For example:
   The girl was wearing a black, white and red dress.
   The new employee needs a stapler, ruler, pencils and pens.

   c) To add extra information into a sentence. For example:
   Jason, my assistant, took valuable notes at the meeting.
   The new manager, a young lady in her 30s, seems very approachable.
   This lovely gift, a basket of fruit and flowers, arrived at my house this morning.

   Tip: Help your reader to focus on your message instead of your poor sentence construction. As you read out your sentences, remember that a comma is a short pause, and a full stop is a long pause. This should help you get your punctuation in the right place.

3. Misplaced Apostrophes
   One of the most common errors I encounter is with the word it’s. Let’s get this right once and for all.

   It’s = It is or It has

   It’s
   ✓ It’s been a great day today. (It has been)
   ✓ It’s a shame we can’t have a long weekend every week. (It is)
   ✗ The dog was chasing it’s tail. (We never use an apostrophe with ‘its’ when it is a possessive.)
   ✗ The company celebrated it’s 10th anniversary. (Again this possessive should be ‘its’)

   Tip: When reading out sentences, ask yourself if your it’s could be changed to it is. If the answer is no, then remove the apostrophe – it should be its.

How Can You Learn More About Good Business Writing?

I cover more common mistakes and how to easily remember the correct uses of grammar in my new interactive, video-based virtual training programme, ‘Business Writing That Works’. Plus, you can learn so much more about all aspects of email and business writing skills. I can teach you and your whole team how to write more effectively so you can build deeper relationships for better business and great results.

Visit the STTS page to find out more about Shirley’s work.

_{© 2016 Shirley Taylor.
Shirley Taylor is a recognised leading authority on business writing and communication skills. For almost 30 years she has presented keynotes and training programmes that help people and organisations boost communication skills and develop great relationships both orally and in writing. Shirley is bestselling author of 12 books, including Model Business Letters, Emails and Other Business Documents, which has sold half a million copies worldwide and has been translated into many languages. If you would like Shirley to speak at your next event, visit www.shirleytaylor.com.}
Edited by Nedda Chaplin 

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