In defense of the exclamation point!

Or, I've decided to stop aggressively editing my emails!

It is my goal with The Thursday List to more or less dump out the contents of my brain and search around for what needs to be:

• Figured out

• Polished

• Shared

and then present it here. I’m going to be honest, a lot of this is for my benefit. I find writing to be the antidote to the brain chaos I just described. I’m Marie-Kondoing my headspace, one post at a time. And I do hope that the process is beneficial and useful, because I have realized that I truly feel most fulfilled when I am helping and connecting with others.

Because I love ~structure~ and ~order~ (see aforementioned brain chaos), I’ve chosen to sort said brain junk (and jewels?) into two lanes: habit shifts and perspective shifts.

Today’s might be a bit of a hybrid of the two, and it has to do with emails.

Nothing to do with emails, but I really enjoy this view in my house. It feels like me and it works for our home. Similarly, I like to feel like me when I write an email.

As I type, right this very moment, I’ve wrapped up my twelfth year of teaching. I’ve probably taught nearly one thousand students at this point, everyone. Wow! How wild is that?

Anyway, I decidedly do not have a job where I exclusively push around emails all day. Teachers wear a lot of hats and only one of them is answering emails. But like most people, I have a fair few emails to respond to daily.

And look, I understand that professional emails should sound, well professional.

However. The way each of us communicates is sort of central to who we are, right? And in my communication, I often prioritize conveying warmth and approachability. (Disclaimer: in conversations I want to be part of, of course. Not exclusively, all the time.)

Part of this is a function of my job. Creating a positive learning environment, especially when students are working to learn tough material, does wonders for their academic progress. Being approachable as a teacher means that students will ask for help and clarification when they need it.

This spills over into my email-writing style.

Many people send incredibly direct emails. Curt, I might say. (Or what a sensitive, over-thinking person might read as curt.) I am sure these people likely send many more emails a day than I do, and need to get on with it, already. In these emails, nary an exclamation point can be found.

I, on the other hand, have historically needed to aggressively prune exclamation points from my emails. Am I excited? No, not really! But do I want to convey kindness? Usually!

Lately, I have found myself setting down my punctuation-pruning shears and letting my friendliness be. I have, gradually, found ways to convey kindness without exclaiming—and sometimes choose to relegate my exclamation to my greeting or closing.

All in all, I think it is possible to be both friendly and professional. Both warm and direct. I choose both. 💌

I love getting replies to my newsletter. If you have a hot take on work emails, send it my way ASAP!