Just…maybe it’s not helpful
Why do we use the word ‘Just’?
Why do we use the J word?
After a friend told me that she had cut out the use of the word ‘just’ from emails and everyday conversation I started to notice how much I used it and how weak and superfluous it is as a word.
‘I was just wondering if you would be able to help me out next week…’
‘Just sending you a quick note to thank you for the lovely flowers’
‘ I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to be late’
‘Could I just grab 5 minutes of your time…’
And perhaps my least favourite when someone phones you up and says - ‘it’s just me’! NO! You are you with everything that you bring to the world - no need to qualify yourself down.
It has always fascinated me how different nationalities communicate - especially in emails. I worked with a couple of German colleagues several years ago in a company that used English as its main language. They both spoke pretty good English but told me how difficult they found it to tune into the right tone and style when writing emails to native English speakers. I am really not a fan of national stereo-typing but they told me that their preference was for short, direct communication. They found the ‘padding’ of many business emails unhelpful and irrelevant - any of the ‘could I just’ type statements for them did not add any value.
I tend to be quite brief and to the point in emails but I want to be polite and personal where that’s appropriate. I have to admit I quite often write the business content of my emails first and then top and tail with a bit of personal messaging. The same person who had given up the word ‘just’ also showed me an email she’d had in reply to a very carefully crafted email explaining why she was unable to take on a particular (paid) piece of work. She had spent a lot of time considering whether she could do the work and had taken the trouble to explain her reasons why not, very carefully. The reply that came back did not acknowledge any of the reasons she had given but merely said - ‘I’m disappointed you won't do the project’. She felt that the person had either not read her email properly or did not respect her reasons. As a result she won’t even consider working with that person or the organisation they represent. It felt a bit like the impact of poor customer service - she shared the email with me and I now don’t particularly respect that person either.
As usual there is some middle ground to be struck. We are all busy and at times a quick email is better than nothing. So maybe there is room for a ‘just writing back with a quick response as I’m maxed out right now’ but in general the inclusion of ‘just’ at the start of an email to me feels apologetic and rather weak. I too, have tried to cut out the word ‘just’ when I think it is padding or weak so here are my suggestions which are a bit more direct, but definitely not rude.
‘I was just wondering if you would be able to help me out next week’
Becomes…I need some help next week - can you spare me a couple of hours please?
Just sending you a quick note to thank you for the lovely flowers’
Becomes ….Thanks for the lovely flowers - they look fantastic in my front room..
‘ I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to be late’
Becomes…I’ll be with you as soon as I get finished up here…I might be a bit late
Could I just grab 5 minutes…
Becomes I need to talk to you - when is a good time for you?
It’s just me…
Becomes
Hi - it’s me!
All of these alternatives feel a lot stronger and more confident to me - but I’d love to know what you think?
And for me there is always at least one great exception to every rule. In the case of a weak ‘just’ it’s the Nike slogan ‘JUST DO IT!’. Who could fail to be motivated by that!
I hope you find this article interesting and useful. Please let me know if you have any questions or feedback!
