Write Better Emails: 9 Words & Phrases Hurting Your Credibility (and What to Replace Them With)

Your credibility isn’t lost in big mistakes. It’s quietly eroded by the everyday words and phrases you may not even realise you’re using.

For over a decade in my career, I was receiving easily over 100 emails a day. Like many, I would think about my emails all day. Oscillating between worrying about what was piling up, plus how to respond to the ones I had already read. When making the most of the time you have to email, every second counts. Unclear communication will not only lead to more emails, but will instantly dilute the crediblity you bring to your professional brand.  

When it comes to writing more confident emails and building a more persuasive personal brand in your everyday work world, every word counts, too. Over the years, I’ve paid more attention to what’s not working and observed the top executives in action. Here are the words and phrases I have found hurt perceptions of your confidence, plus what to replace them with:

1. “I think” 

When you use the phrase “I think”, you instantly sound unsure of yourself. 

An alternative:  “I recommend”. Say it like you mean it and add conviction to your idea or point of view.  

2. “Sorry to bother you”  

Firstly, are you really sorry? Over-apologising dilutes the power of 'sorry' when a situation really calls for it and undermines perceptions of your confidence. 

An alternative: “I’m touching base regarding x…”. Humans like to know what to expect. By stating it upfront, it helps close any mental open loops more quickly. 

3. “Sorry for the delay”

Was there really a delay that warrants an apology? Did you miss a deadline or the implicit rules of email etiquette? Or, did you simply not respond within minutes? When you apologise if you haven’t done anything wrong, you make it appear as though you have. 

The alternatives: “Thank you for this….”, or, where there actually has been a slight delay, “Thank you for your patience”. 

4. “Just” 

“Just” is appropriate when you actually mean it. For example, when you are implying “almost” or “nearly”. Otherwise it is an unnecessary filler word, making your emails sound meek. 

The alternative: The beauty of filler words is that they usually serve no purpose. Remove them entirely. For example, “I’m just following…” becomes “I’m following up…”.

5. “Try”

As I learned through neurolinguistic programming, “try” implies a lack of commitment. Whether you’re using it or hearing it, it creates the mental space for failure.

The alternative: “I will get this to you by x” or “let’s lock in a meeting next week. Does xxx suit you…?”

6. “To be honest/To be straight with you”

As Ryan Holiday highlights in The Daily Stoic, Roman Emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius said it best: 

“How rotten and fraudulent when people say they intend to ‘give it to you straight.’ What are you up to, dear friend? It shouldn’t need your announcement, but be readily seen, as if written on your forehead….” 

Your honesty shouldn’t need an announcement.

The alternative: “In my opinion” or simply make your point without a preface. 

7. “Not a problem”

Saying “not a problem” can sound like there was the potential for a problem, and by your good graces, there wasn’t. It can also sound dismissive of the importance someone else places on whatever you helped them with. 

The alternatives: “You’re most welcome” or “My pleasure”. 

8. “If that makes sense?”

If you have to ask yourself if your communication makes sense, it likely doesn’t. And even if it did, you lose credibility by questioning the clarity of your communication. 

The alternative: Remove the phrase altogether. If the response you receive indicates that it wasn’t, say “My apologies, I wasn’t clear”. Confident communication isn’t always about being right. Phrases like this show maturity and accountability. The onus for effective communication is on you. 

9. “But”

The word “but” flips a mental switch for the person who hears it. It means anything positive said before it feels less sincere and loses credibility, as the focus goes to everything said after it.

The alternative: “And”. Avoid the negation effect of “but” and create space for both points. 

From clumsy to confidently curated

Don’t dilute the credibility others attribute to your personal brand one poorly communicated email at a time. Carefully curated emails that remove all the unnecessary clutter and sharpen your points will not only save you time but also add to every impression of your personal brand in a way that projects poise, credibility and confidence. Don’t fumble through your emails; say it like you mean it.