23
Showerthought: I finally stopped saying 'just' in my emails after a weird moment at a coffee shop
I was at a place called The Daily Grind in Omaha, trying to work on my laptop between hauls. This woman at the next table was on a video call, and I heard her say, 'I'm just following up,' and then she paused and said, 'Actually, scratch that. I *am* following up.' It was like a light went off. I looked at an email I was about to send to a new broker, and I had written 'just checking in' and 'just wanted to see.' I deleted every 'just' right there. It made my questions sound more direct and less like I was bothering them. I've been doing it for about two months now, and I swear the response rate to my cold emails is better. It's a tiny thing, but it changed how I talk about my own work. Has anyone else picked up a small habit like that from a random place?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
morganhill9d ago
Notice how much weak language we use without thinking. We say "just" or "I'm no expert but" or "this might be a stupid question." It makes us sound unsure before we even start. I started cutting out "sorry" when I wasn't actually at fault, like "sorry for the late reply" when they were later. It stops you from taking the blame for normal things. That woman at the coffee shop was right, dropping those words makes you sound more solid.
3
the_thomas9d ago
Totally agree on cutting the filler words. Though sometimes a polite "sorry" can smooth things over even if it's not your fault.
3