Understanding What Corporate Email Lingo Really Means

Before memes, casual language, and Gen-Z slang, formal emails were the standard for all business correspondence. But that doesn’t mean that corporate email lingo is dead. 

Whether or not it makes your skin crawl, understanding corporate email lingo is essential for “thriving in competitive corporate environments.” So, let’s touch base on what it’s all about. 

What is Corporate Email Lingo?

Corporate email lingoes are phrases often used in corporate correspondence. You probably know some classics, like “As per my last email” and “I’d like to circle back on that.” 

All corporate email lingoes have the same thing in common—they’re formal and structured. 

They’re meant to convey professionalism, clarity, and respect. It’s essentially email etiquette 101. The issue is that these phrases are often overused and sound way too robotic. 

But thanks to the Internet and meme culture, corporate email lingo took a life of its own. 

Translating Corporate Email Lingo: What They Really Mean

To help you navigate the nuances of corporate email lingo, we have to dig deeper. Here are the 30 corporate email lingo to look out for and what they really mean: 

Requesting Updates and Follow-Ups

If you’re in a big company, requesting important files and documents from a coworker can be a bit of a hassle. Give them a gentle reminder with these phrases: 

• Following up: I needed that important file/document yesterday. 
• Circle back: I don’t want to talk about this right now. 
• Ping me: Message me directly, not through the company email.
• Quick heads up: I’m warning you not to do that again. 
• Keep me in the loop: I need to know what you’re up to.

Indicating or Setting Priorities

Task delegation is essential to any sales operations planning strategy. Here are some corporate phrases that will help you assign tasks to your team:

• High-level overview: Can you dumb this down for me, please? 
• Take ownership: We all know this was your fault. 
• Move the needle: There’s a noticeable improvement. 
• Mission-critical: Prioritize this immediately. 
• Elevate this: You can definitely do better than this. 

Coordinating or Making Plans

Coordinating with multiple people and departments can get chaotic. Ensure everybody working on a project is on the same page by using these phrases in your email correspondence: 

• Let’s unpack this: Let’s try and understand why you made those decisions. 
• Align on this: Make sure everyone is on the same page. 
• Moving forward: Here’s what we need to do from now on. 
• For future reference: Don’t make this mistake again.
• Close the loop: We’re done talking about this. 

Requesting or Asking for Approval

In most cases, asking for approval means having your request go through multiple stakeholders. Let your message go across with urgency using these phrases: 

• At your earliest convenience: I need you to get this approved ASAP! 
• Loop in: CC relevant people in your next email. 
• Run this up the flagpole: Ask our supervisors/boss first. 
• Put it on my radar: I will 100% forget about this, and you need to remind me. 
• Leverage: We can use this. 

Providing Feedback and Guidance

It’s not uncommon for things to get lost in translation when it comes to corporate email correspondence. Ensure everything is clear before you move forward with these phrases: 

• Just to clarify: I don’t think you got what I said. 
• As previously discussed: We already talked about this; please remember.
• As per my last email: Do I really have to tell you this again?
• Thanks in advance: I expect you to do this.
• Takeaway: Here’s what I need you to understand.

Describing Progress

Tracking progress is essential for staying within deadlines. Keep your team, supervisors, and stakeholders in the loop for updates by using these phrases in your email thread: 

• Gain traction: We’re finally making progress. 
• In the pipeline: The right people are already working on this, I promise. 
• In a good place: Things are going surprisingly well. 
• Win-win: This benefits all parties involved.
• Run it back: We need to start from the beginning. 

Corporate Email Lingo Examples in Action

Now that we know what corporate email lingo to look out for, here’s how you can use them in your next emails. Remember to adjust the templates to fit your needs. 

Following-Up on a Request From Last Week

You don’t need to theorize why a coworker or your boss hasn’t taken action on the requests you sent. What you should prioritize is sending a friendly reminder so you can move forward. 

Subject line: Following up on {{request}}, {{first name}}

Hey, {{first name}}, 

I’m just chiming in to ask for a follow-up on that document I needed last week. I know you’re busy so if there’s anything I can do to help expedite this, please keep me in the loop. 

Thanks in advance, 

{{your name}}

Delegating Tasks to Team Members

Delegating tasks is an art. Ensure everybody on your team is on the same page with what they need to prioritize and that the proper stakeholders are in the loop with any major updates. 

Subject line: Mission-critical: action required on {{project}}

Good day, {{first name}}

I’m reaching out today regarding the status of {{project}}. As you know, {{task}} is mission-critical for us to gain traction. Please provide an update at your earliest convenience to ensure we’re on track to meet deadlines. 

Could you also include a quick high-level overview for our stakeholders of any outstanding tasks or updates that pushed the needle forward for {{project}}?  

Thanks in advance,

{{your name}}

Giving Corrections or Answering Questions

Sometimes it’s frustrating when coworkers fail to comprehend something so simple. Instead of a heated verbal confrontation, let's use a gentle correction to address this issue. 

Subject line: Clarifications on {{question}}

Hey, {{first name}}, 

As per my last email, I noted how we needed {{document}} and approval from {{department head}} before proceeding with {{task}}. 

What could I have done differently, so we could prevent questions like this from reoccurring?

Thanks in advance, 

{{your name}}

Key Takeaways

Corporate email lingo might be reduced to memes, but it’s still a crucial part of formal business correspondence. If you’re doing cold outreach to a segment that primarily uses this type of language, you’ll need the right email marketing tool for the job. 

Instantly.ai is trained on the best-performing cold emails. It’ll help transform generic and robotic corporate email lingo into emails prospects actually want to respond to. Try it out for free today!