I thought by now email would be a thing of the past. I guess I imagined it would go the way of fax machines, Rolodexes, and land lines. Antiquated and nearly gone if not forgotten.

But no. Somehow this 60-year-old communication tool still goes strong. 

Whether you love or hate the channel, your daily challenge is to feed it with effective messages that get attention and get things done.

“Well duh,” you’re thinking. “How hard can that be? Enter recipient. Write subject line. Craft message. Click send. Easy peasy.”

Not so fast. A few bad habits can poison your messages and infect your business with confusion, frustration, and poor results. Not good.

If you don’t want to be the one spreading such toxins, please watch for these 7 poisonous practices that could be weakening your messages—and use the antidotes to create healthier communication.

Poisonous Practice 1:
Saving the best for last

Far too many email messages are heaped on top with long-winded backstories. The history of a project. The rationale for a recommendation. The reasons for a decision. Then, buried at the bottom, is the treasure we seek. The request. The big idea. The call to action.

What if your reader runs out of time or patience to reach the end? They’ll never see what you’re asking or offering.

Antidote: Make scrolling optional by leading with your main point. “I need the sales report by noon. Details below.” In an instant, your recipient knows how and when to respond.

Poisonous Practice 2:
Ignoring the visual effect

Dense, eternal paragraphs are sure to discourage (if not infuriate) your reader. Imagine opening a message to find a wall of words. It’s impossible to skim, because nothing stands out. When time and attention spans are short, such formatting is bound to be ignored or deleted.

Antidote: Give your reader some mental breathing room with white space, short paragraphs, and bullet points. If they can quickly scan your message and grasp the key points, they’re more likely to respond.

Poisonous Practice 3:
Including “FYI” in the subject line

If all you want is for your recipient to file or delete your message, ignore this suggestion.

But if you want immediate attention or action from that recipient, don’t suggest that your message is for information only. “FYI” subtracts urgency and importance from your communication. 

Antidote: Replace “FYI” with a meaningful purpose for your message. Better yet, include the response you expect from your recipient. For example: instead of “FYI: Sales Objectives,” try “Action Required: Review Sales Objectives Before Friday’s Meeting.”

Poisonous Practice 4:
Forgetting to make your point

Some messages are stressful. Explaining a complex or contentious situation can plunge you into a swirl of decisions about what to say, how to say it, and in what order. You might get so caught up in the context that you forget the most critical element: your actual point. 

The last thing you want is for your recipient to make it through your thorough analysis only to wonder, “What am I supposed to do with this?”

Antidote: Before sending your email, read the message aloud or have someone read it to you. Listen to be sure you’ve answered these 3 questions: What is this about? What do you need from the recipient?What’s the deadline or next step?

Poisonous Practice 5:
Clicking “send” in the heat of the moment

Your colleague from accounting was a no-show, you had to fake it through their part of the presentation, and you were grasping at straws trying to answer the customer’s billing questions. You are so frustrated! In a  fit of annoyance, you fire off a scathing message to your a**hole colleague, copying their boss.

Later, you regret your tone. Worse yet, you learn that your colleague missed the meeting due to a personal tragedy. Now who’s the a**hole?

Antidote: When you’re upset, exhausted, distracted, or overwhelmed, don’t send that message. Instead, draft it and revisit it in an hour, tomorrow, or even next week. For sensitive or inflammatory situations, ask someone you trust to check your words—and your tone—before you send.

Poisonous Practice 6:
Neglecting to pick up the phone

Some messages should never be emails at all; they ought to be conversations. Case in point: the seemingly endless email chain that could have been resolved with a 5-minute phone call.

Antidote: Before investing time writing an email message, ask yourself: Would this be better as a conversation? If you anticipate back-and-forth exchanges, a quick call might be more efficient and effective.

Poisonous Practice 7:
Sending without reading

Typos. Missing attachments. Wrong recipients. They’re all credibility killers. Sending an email without reading it first can result in embarrassing mistakes.

Antidote: Before you click send, read through your message (ideally aloud) from top to bottom, including the subject line. This simple habit can help you catch errors and protect your reputation.

Detox your outbox

Just as toxins can weaken the body, these bad email habits can leech clarity and efficiency from your communication.

But poisons have antidotes. By adopting a few proactive email practices, you can neutralize these harmful effects and keep your messages clear, effective, and professional.