The following are business writing killers. They sound too much like “legalese” and remove the human element from your correspondence. By eliminating them, you’ll make your documents significantly better:
1. “Yours truly” or “Sincerely yours” – You are not theirs. These closings are antiquated. Rather use “Sincerely”.
2. “Respectfully” – This closing has a solemn tone. It’s often used in denial letters in an attempt to soften the blow. It’s clinical and cold and won’t make your reader any happier.
3. “Please be advised” – This lawyer-like phrase is almost always unnecessary. Instead of “Please be advised that payment is overdue,” simply use “Payment is overdue”.
4. “Kindly” – This is old fashioned. Rather use the word “Please”.
5. “I am forwarding…” -e.g. I am forwarding my business card to you, just use “sending.”
6. “As per above” – This tells the reader to stop reading, check the above to find the information, and then re-enter the letter to continue reading. It’s easier to just summarise the information in the letter itself. The fewer distractions for your reader the better.
7. “Please do not hesitate to contact me” – This has become a cliché. Clichés send a message that your thinking is also clichéd. Rather use: “Please call me”.
8. “Enclosed please find.” – This phrase epitomises the way people write when they are desperate to avoid using a pronoun like “I”. There’s nothing to “find.” Rather use “enclosed is…” or “I’ve enclosed.”
9. “Under separate cover” – When you write, “I am sending you this under separate cover,” you are perpetuating an old fashioned phrase. Rather “I am sending it separately (or by courier, etc.)”.
If you see these phrases all the time, it’s time to let us help you sharpen your writing https://www.web-lingo.com/contact-us.