A coworker told me my emails came off as demanding and it stung for a week

I got feedback from a team lead named Rachel after a project wrap up last month. She said my emails sounded like I was barking orders even though I was just trying to be efficient. I changed my opener from 'Send me the report by noon' to 'When you get a chance, could you share the report by noon?' That small rewrite made a huge difference in how people responded. Has anyone else had to retrain how they write simple work messages?

3 comments

3 Comments

logan_ellis21d ago

Did your friend try adding "please" too? That fixed my buddy's emails.

the_christopher22d ago

Used to roll my eyes at that kind of feedback, thought people were just being too sensitive lol. But trying that softer opener totally changed how my team responded to me too, it's wild how much tone matters in text.

miles_garcia22d agoMost Upvoted

Really noticing how much a simple please or thank you changes everything in daily life too.