Polish Executive Correspondence with Grammarly

What This Does

Grammarly reviews your drafted emails and documents for grammar, clarity, and tone — flagging when a message sounds curt, passive, or overly formal, and suggesting specific rewrites.

Before You Start

• Create a free Grammarly account at grammarly.com
• Install the Grammarly browser extension (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) — it works inside Gmail, Outlook on the web, and most writing tools
• For desktop Outlook or Word, install the Grammarly for Windows/Mac app

Steps

1. Let Grammarly run automatically

Once the browser extension is installed, Grammarly runs in the background when you type in Gmail or Outlook on the web. You'll see a green/yellow/red score indicator in the bottom corner of any text box.

2. Review tone suggestions

After drafting an email, click the Grammarly indicator. Look at the "Tone" section — it might say "Confident," "Formal," "Cautious," or flag "Could seem dismissive." For executive correspondence, aim for "Confident" and "Formal" or "Professional."

3. Apply rewrite suggestions selectively

Grammarly highlights phrases with colored underlines. Blue = style suggestions; Red = errors; Yellow = tone. Click any highlight to see the suggestion. Accept the ones that improve clarity; skip the ones that change your intended meaning.

4. Use the "Improve It" full-rewrite option

For a complete paragraph that isn't working, highlight it and click "Improve It" in the Grammarly sidebar. It rewrites the section while preserving your core message.

Real Example

Scenario: You've drafted a reply declining a conference speaking invitation on behalf of your executive. You want to make sure it sounds appreciative and leaves the door open for next year.

What you do: Paste the draft into the Grammarly editor. It flags "Unfortunately we won't be able to participate" as too blunt, and suggests "While we're unable to join this year, we'd welcome the opportunity in the future." You accept the suggestion; the tone shifts from a closed door to an open one.

What you get: A polished reply that accomplishes your diplomatic goal.

Tips

• The free plan covers basic grammar and tone — the Business plan ($15/mo) adds brand tone guidelines, which is useful if your executive has a specific style
• Turn off Grammarly for confidential documents that shouldn't be processed by external servers — check your company's data policy
• Use Grammarly's "Clarity" suggestions specifically for long sentences in reports and presentations — they tend to be genuinely helpful

Tool interfaces change — if a button has moved, look for similar AI/sparkle options or the Grammarly extension icon.