Email is the most used communication device in the work world, right? If you’re anything like me, you use email far more than the phone; text might be catching up and video conferencing is now in competition. It’s easy to just take emails for granted, but it’s not smart to do so. Just in the past week, I’ve gotten half a dozen emails that have made me cringe a little. In some cases, these were simple requests from people that I’m normally happy to respond to and help, but the tone was just … wrong. It’s not because the ask was cringeworthy, but because of the way that it was asked – just too abrupt, terse, demanding or dismissive. People form impressions about you and your projects from your emails. Like all communication, it’s not about what you’re saying, it’s all about what the receiver is hearing or reading. It makes sense to make your email habits and language as effective as possible, and these fixes are easy.