The question keeps arising: “What do you think of all these exclamation points people are using these days?” My opinion matters for at least three reasons. First, I work as a writing consultant in the private and public sectors, so people often rely on my expertise in deciding appropriateness of usage for themselves and their staff. Second, I have been tracing the increasing appearance of explanation points in routine business emails, which have entirely replaced traditional memos and letters as formal means of company communication. This trend suggests an evolutionary practice; therefore, the pervasiveness of exclamation points is here to stay. Third, the opinions I heard range wildly, from “I just think they’re cool” to “These idiots who use too many are immature writers.” Neither of these observations is helpful, because even informal writing requires more standards than does formal speaking to save the audience from ambiguity, especially in a business world demanding clear interpretations and precise commitments. Here is my take.
While anyone’s judgment on the appropriateness of exclamation points is subjective, I need to start with two disclosures: I use them sparingly, and I challenge anyone who claims their usage is generational. While younger people, millennials in particular, might have started the phenomenon (although I am not entirely convinced they did), I see plenty of baby boomers using them these days.
Using exclamation points excessively may represent a lazy shortcut for explaining how writers feel. Instead of writing to a teammate, “Thank you for your call!” you can write, “Your call came just as I was thinking of how we can inexpensively solve this problem while not interrupting the project. Your recommendation achieved those two objectives for our team. Many thanks for your contribution.” Exclamation points can also signal an ineffectual masking for weaknesses in using language skillfully and delicately. Better than writing to a client, “I can’t do the job today!” is writing, “While my production commitments preclude me from completing the job today, I can have it ready for you by tomorrow evening.”
With these thoughts in mind, I offer two tips:
1. Use exclamation points to express pleasure, not anger or disappointment. Think of using them to congratulate someone for an accomplishment or to thank someone for doing you a favor. Avoid “You are wrong!” “How could you!” “No way I’m doing that for you!” and the like.
2. Limit exclamation points to one per message. I restrict my use to maybe one in a month of hundreds of emails. Overuse loses their effectiveness in conveying your intended meaning. Make exclamation points matter.
