INTHEBLACK February / March 2026 - Magazine - Page 50
WORK SMART
“Our tone reflects our personality — whether we’re friendly,
funny, blunt, warm or direct. The structure, wording and
even the spacing of an email can indicate how we think
and communicate.”
JORDANA BORENSZTAJN, COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
“If you want to come across as more powerful,
you don’t have to be overly positive, but reining
in those negative emotions is a really important
thing to do.”
CLEAR AND CONCISE
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50 INTHEBLACK February/March 2026
Contrary to common advice about keeping
emails short and to the point, the research
also shows that longer emails are positively
associated with prestige.
“Surprisingly, the study shows we respect
people and think that they’re saying more
valuable things when they write longer emails.
That doesn’t mean you need to be overly
wordy, but if you provide a deeper analysis
people perceive you more positively,”
says Overbeck.
Jordana Borensztajn, communications
specialist and author of The Little Book
of Influence, says being concise is crucial
to increase the impact of the message.
“To make sentences more direct and
powerful, you should review and remove
softener or filler words. Phrases like
‘I just want to’, ‘I’m not sure if’, ‘I think
that’ or even ‘actually’, can dilute
the message.”
Clarifying the desired impression can help
refine writing style. For example, to sound
confident without being curt, focus on clarity
and brevity.
Similarly, to come across as collaborative,
be specific about roles and next steps.
And when the outcome matters most,
shift the tone to be more formal, empathetic
and fact-based to maintain professionalism
and calm.
AUTHENTICITY AND AUDIENCE
While these are all helpful tips, there are
no hard and fast rules on the best way to
communicate through email; rather, it
depends on the context, says Borensztajn.
“It really comes down to knowing who your
audience is. Who is my client? Who is the
person on the other side of this? Who are
my colleagues? What dynamic do I want to
encourage and create here?”
For those unsure what that is and how to
hit the right tone, Borensztajn suggests that
artificial intelligence (AI) tools offer some help,
but should be used carefully.
“Our tone reflects our personality — whether
we’re friendly, funny, blunt, warm or direct.
The structure, wording and even the spacing
of an email can indicate how we think and
communicate,” she says.
But if the message is not authentic to the
author, that is where things fall apart.
“You can’t rely on AI alone, because your
authenticity is what truly connects. That is the
foundation of any relationship. How well do
I know this person? How well are we connecting?
“AI is great for brainstorming and idea
generation, but it is an assistant. It can never
replace the human factor, which is the most
important part we bring to all forms of
communication,” she adds.
Borensztajn has one simple piece of advice
to follow before hitting send — read the email
out loud.
“Our words and ideas sound very different
when we vocalise them. Reading aloud reveals
how your message truly sounds, not just how
you imagine it to sound.” ■
