Six ways to stop sending emails with errors
Everybody sends occasional emails with typos and punctuation mistakes. But some emails are more important than others. When you want to make your email perfect, follow these rules.
1. Print out your email.
Somehow it’s easier to see errors on paper.
2. Read it out loud.
This is good for catching missing words that your mind might otherwise fill in.Otherwise, you often see what you expect to see.
3. Get someone else to proofread it.
It’s easier for a third party to catch your errors.
4. Let it sit overnight.
When you read with fresh eyes, you’re more likely to catch errors.
5. Use a spell-checking program.
If your email program doesn’t support spell-checking, copy the email into your word-processing program, so you can check it there. However, remember that spell-checkers aren’t foolproof.
6. Create a checklist of common errors.
Using a checklist makes you slow down and, so you’re more likely to catch the errors highlighted on the checklist. For example, let’s say you’re confused about “How to punctuate bullet-pointed lists.” Add to your checklist: “check bullet point punctuation rules” with a link to the rules.
Have you got other suggestions for keeping emails error-free? Please share them in the Comments section.
Reading it aloud is the sure-fire way to improve the final version of a piece of writing. Our ears hear things that neither our eyes nor a spell-checker will ever see.
Warren,
I’m glad to find another fan of reading out loud. Thank you for taking the time to comment!