It used to be that an exclamation point conveyed intensity. But with the rise of the internet, the exclamation point is undergoing a transformation. Have you noticed? Many people think it’s no longer effective to use only one.
According to a recent article in The Atlantic, “Digital communication is undergoing exclamation-point inflation.” Because people are using this punctuation mark so often, they’ve started to use several, consecutively (!!!), in an attempt to convey an enthusiastic, friendly tone.
And I’m finding that it’s not only digital communication that exclamation-point inflation is affecting—it’s carrying over into formal business communication, and, sadly, even into academic writing.
Use of more than one exclamation point has no meaning. Is a statement extra exciting and meaningful if there are two exclamation (“The project is complete!!”) points instead of one (“The project is complete!”) and even more exciting if there are three (“The project is complete!!!”) instead of two? No. The meaning is the same in all three examples. And even if you perceive three exclamation points to indicate more excitement than one, will your readers have the same perception?
According to The Atlantic, “Much like awesome once served a greater purpose, the exclamation point has been downgraded from a shout of alarm or intensity to a symbol that indicates politeness and friendliness.”
But you can still create a polite, friendly tone with your choice of words and by ending your sentences with periods. Enthusiasm isn’t the only way to capture your readers’ attention. And it’s also not the only tone that’s considered polite. Your business letter can be engaging and have a friendly, happy tone while omitting exclamation points. Your choice of words, and your directness, clarity, and concision can help captivate your readers and create the appropriate tone.
I’m seeing more and more business letters that are full of exclamation points. I recently edited one in which every sentence, except for one, ended in an exclamation mark—and these were not exclamatory sentences. It’s not necessary to convey that much intensity in professional communication, and readers may even interpret it as unprofessional. (And, to the dismay of editors everywhere, I even sometimes see smileys used in formal business letters. When graphics are creeping into written communication, surely texting is to blame.)
As noted in The Atlantic, “since so much communication now occurs in text form, with no tone, body language, or facial expressions adorning it, it makes sense that we’ve found another way to smooth interactions.”
But I suggest letting your choice of words create smooth interactions, rather than using a punctuation mark in a way that it wasn’t intended to be used.
It’s common for the meaning of certain words to change over time, but now that punctuation is also transforming, it’s important to separate your formal business communication from your casual, personal texts, and ensure you’re perceived as professional. So unless you’re doing a mathematical calculation and need to indicate a factorial mark (n!), try to avoid using (and overusing) exclamation points in formal writing, such as business letters, cover letters, or academic papers. You might think the intensity is strengthening the points you’re making; but instead, it’s weakening them.
