Do Emoticons Work in Business E-mail?

When we communicate face to face, body language, facial expressions and tone of voice add additional layers of meaning to the words we choose and facilitate our listener’s understanding of our message.

When we communicate in writing, however, these visual and vocal enhancements go missing. The only way to express meaning in writing is through silent, black text on paper. This is why we spend so much time writing formal business letters. Written words are all we have, so the words we choose must be precise and the order in which we present them must express the message accurately.

This has changed, however, with the rise of e-mail. Because an e-mail message is more informal than a business letter – even bordering on casual – many writers feel free to insert emoticons, or smileys, in their text to express and enhance the meaning of the written messages they send.

Originally used by IT professionals during the earliest days of the Internet, emoticons have evolved from a limited array of punctuation marks read sideways to an endless assortment of downloadable, full-color animated expressions. In the place of a sideways smile :) or a wink ;), today’s emoticons will kiss you, cry for you, snore at you, sneeze at you, bow to you, laugh at you and punch you in the nose. A correctly chosen emoticon can deliver more than words can say.

Many business writers have asked me whether emoticons are allowable in business e-mail. This isn’t an easy question to answer… it’s sometimes yes sometimes no. Many readers find emoticons silly and they might not take you seriously. Other readers find them unprofessional and distracting in a business e-mail. So as a general guideline, my advice is: save your emoticons for your internal and personal e-mail. Keep them out of external business writing.

Some writers argue back, saying that they might have familiar, casual relationships with people outside their own companies. But while this may be true, you never know where your e-mail might be forwarded once it leaves your office. If your e-mail is escalated to a high officer in an external company, can you afford the negative impression your emoticons might make?

Remember, your business writing says a lot about the way your company does business. With that in mind, be very careful about what you attach to your e-mail. Emoticons are cute. Business is not.