Those in business are more likely to read “as per our conversation” than those in less formal situations. Though it obviously cannot stand alone, it still seems ungrammatical within a complete sentence. Is this phrase correct?
Yes, it is correct to use “as per our conversation” in formal situations, especially within business emails or legal notices to reference a previous conversation. However, it is an older idiomatic expression you should never use in informal conversation or writing. The more updated phrase equivalent in meaning and formality is “as [we] discussed.”
Now that we’ve established the basics, let’s break this expression down to understand it thoroughly.
What Does “As Per Our Conversation” Mean?
In its heyday, “as per our conversation” was a formal and polite way to say “as [we] discussed.” Its primary use was in business and legal writing to refer to a previous conversation topic that bears significance toward whatever the phrase connects to, usually the fulfillment of a request or a plan from that conversation.
For example, a sales representative may discuss the specifics of hauling a truckload of material to a building site early with a contractor as part of their deal. Once the delivery is loaded and underway, the representative may send an email notification to the contractor:
- As per our conversation, the delivery has been loaded a day early.
The purpose of “as per our conversation” here is to reference the previous discussion to show professionalism and attention to the details of fulfilling a prior obligation.
You can also use “as per our conversation” to clarify a text, repeat key points, give credit, remind someone about an agreement, update project status, or summarize a discussion.
- The report was sent for revision rather than publishing as per our conversation.
- As per our conversation, we will task Todd with research and Anna with presenting.
- Laura has been credited for her hard work as per our conversation.
- We will move forward with licensing as per our conversation.
- John has completed tasks 1 and 3, as per our conversation, but task 2 is still unfinished.
- So, as per our conversation this morning, we will replace all the printers next week.
The way “as per our conversation” references a previous discussion stems from its grammatical construction. “As per” is an odd structure that is equivalent in meaning to “per” or “according to.”
So, why would we use the phrasal preposition “as per” over the preposition “per”? Both constructions are actually correct and have a long history of use. As such, whether you wish to use “as per” or “per” comes down to personal choice (source).
It’s important to note that “as per” is a bit stuffy due to its formality. As such, you can use “as per” and its various phrases in sarcasm, satire, or other forms of high humor – “as per our conversation” being one of these.
You can use older terms like “as per our conversation” humorously in speech or writing because they sound more “professional” without much relevance to today’s daily communication: “Lady Grace, the tea party has been arranged as per our conversation.”
Regarding business and legal writing contexts, “as per our conversation” is still in use. You may respond just as you would to “as [we] discussed.”
How Do You Use “As Per Our Conversation”?
Once upon a time, “as per our conversation” was a standard prepositional phrase in written formal contexts to communicate that whatever follows is meant to fulfill an obligation previously discussed. Nowadays, “as per our conversation” is a dated term that may sound stuffy to native English speakers.
“As per our conversation” refers to a prior discussion. It does so by using the phrasal preposition “as per,” which is equivalent in meaning to the preposition “per.” Both prepositions mean “according to” something previously suggested, planned, or requested (source).
Therefore, you may understand “as per our conversation” as “according to what we previously discussed” or “according to what we planned previously.”
“As per our conversation” points back to an agreement reached in a previous discussion. In other words, you indicate some kind of clarification, update, summary, or completion of whatever plans previously made by using “as per our conversation.”
Though this idiomatic expression has a long history in formal business and legal writing, you should transition to using its more current forms yourself.
Nonetheless, you will likely come across “as per our conversation” in various places. So, let’s take a look at its nuances.
Professional Context
As mentioned above, “as per our conversation” was once a standard expression in business and legal writing. Over the decades, the stereotypical businessman or woman was smartly-dressed, knowledgeable, and distant from others.
In hopes of matching that disciplined, detail-oriented professionalism, writing with overly polite and formal phrases like “to whom it may concern” and “thanks for your patronage” communicated thoughtful respect toward the recipient.
However, such terms were reserved for written correspondence via letter and email. Though passing out of use today in the American business world, you may still see them where the distanced-professional stereotype is still alive.
Humor
Thanks to its passing relevance, “as per our conversation” occasionally appears in silly remarks and mock business English. In these contexts, a person will speak or write in an overly flowery, formal way to entertain.
Characteristics of this type of humor include rigid formality, flattery, flowery adjectives, and passive voice – all of which contribute to an over-the-top message that does not have to take so long to communicate.
For example, a husband may tease his wife: “Madam, as per our riveting conversation last night, I have taken the initiative in washing the dishes this evening.”
Or a mother may goof off with her daughter to lighten the mood: “Miss Snowdrop, I must insist that you clean up the bathroom after each use as per our afternoon conversation.”
You can read more about phrasal prepositions in Is It Correct to Say “As Per”?
When Can You Use “As Per Our Conversation”?
Since it is passing out of regular business use, you should avoid using “as per our conversation.” Instead, opt for more updated, synonymous forms: “as [we] discussed” or “as mentioned previously.” If you choose to use “as per our conversation” anyway, reserve it for formal business and legal correspondence.
At some point in your career, you may find that some professionals prefer more traditional, rigid communication. Perhaps they do not appreciate the newer, semi-formal phrases, or they wish to remain somewhat distant from everyone else.
Regardless, you can use “as per our conversation” in written form, but never in speaking because it will sound mocking.
For example, you may write the following to notify a manager that you have completed a task planned in a previous meeting:
- I have added the completed user forms to the data sets as per our conversation.
Situationally, you may use “as per our conversation” anytime you are writing a notification that a previously discussed task or plan has been completed. But again, this phrase must be reserved for professional formal writing contexts where appreciated. Most opt for more updated terms at this point.
In What Context Can You Use “As Per Our Conversation”?
Though the business context has evolved to communicate more semi-formally, the legal writing context has not. In contexts where one is sending a fulfillment for a request from a judge, court, jury, or other legal body, one may use such overly polite phrases as “to whom it may concern” and “as per our conversation” in writing.
However, these phrases are otherwise stuffy and should not be spoken. Doing so in legal contexts would come across mockingly.
Businesswise, “as per our conversation” may still reflect professionalism in written correspondence. Note that it reflects a distanced, all-business attitude that the recipient may not appreciate.
To avoid sounding too formal, observe your business context and ask questions. Mimic the formality or semi-formality you see daily at work. Though you may see casual emails with grammar mistakes, avoid writing too informally.
If you are unsure how formally you should write a business letter or email, you may default to a more current synonymous phrase such as “as [we] discussed.” Overall, you should strive for friendly professionalism (to the degree you observe) in emails and letters.
Using “As Per Our Conversation” in a Full Sentence
Since “as per our conversation” and many of its more current forms are prepositional phrases, they add extra information that is not necessary to the base meaning of the sentence as a whole.
Further, you may place “as per our conversation” at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence without impacting the full sentence’s overall meaning; however, you should aim to make this phrase a helpful addon rather than a disruptive distraction.
- As per our conversation, the invoices have been signed and sent.
- The invoices, as per our conversation, have been signed and sent.
- The invoices have been signed and sent as per our conversation.
Notice that we enclosed “as per our conversation” in commas when it appeared mid-sentence. The commas ensure there is no confusion in the flow of the sentence, but they are not necessary grammatically. Whether to use commas or not, in this case, is a stylistic choice.
In terms of which placement is better, this falls entirely upon how much attention you wish to draw to the fact that you have fulfilled a prior obligation.
At the beginning of the sentence, “as per our conversation” provides immediate context to the rest of the message. When you place it mid-sentence, you are interrupting the report with a reminder that the result was previously planned and agreed upon. At the end, the phrase is a tack-on reminder of the previous discussion and draws little attention.
When Not to Use “As Per Our Conversation”
Never use “as per our conversation” within formal spoken contexts because it sounds like you are joking about formality or have no idea how to behave in formal legal or business contexts. Furthermore, avoid “as per our conversation” in all informal English contexts.
Over the years, that stereotype of a cold, distant professional who is consumed by meeting deadlines has subsided thanks to instant messaging and social media. An influx of concise, friendly professionalism has butted wordy formality out of its lofty position in many business contexts.
In fact, it is not unusual to work in a company or business where strict formal writing is not appreciated at all. Such rigid writing like “as per our conversation” may come across like you are trying to impress or flatter someone.
Nonetheless, you can still find those who prefer the old-school formalities, and it is appropriate to utilize written formal phrases in those cases.
More often than not, though, you will find that modern business contexts prefer a friendly, polite tone in written business correspondence. The goal is to leave a pleasant, approachable impression rather than a rigid, distanced persona.
What Can You Use Instead of “As Per Our Conversation”?
Current ways to express “as per our conversation” range from a formal “as [we] discussed” to an informal “as we talked about.”
The following expressions are more appropriate to today’s context. Note that some of these reference specific situations or information while others refer to a previous conversation.
| Formal | I updated the log as [we] discussed. To clarify, we will launch the course next week. According to our previous meeting, we need to replace tools. I have attached the files [as] per your request. As you mentioned beforehand, Jera has taken inventory. |
| Semi-formal | After we spoke, I onboarded three new employees. I wasn’t very clear the last time we spoke. The log has been updated as promised. According to Mr. Hughes, Team 3 will join Team 4 this week. |
| Informal | Speaking of our last conversation, have you updated the log yet? Have you gotten around to logging the figures we discussed on Monday? Here’s the timesheet you asked for. Here’s your order as we talked about. |
This article was written for strategiesforparents.com.
For more on how to use formal “as per” phrases, check out Is It Correct to Say “As Per Usual”?
Final Thoughts
“As per our conversation” is not as popular as it once was, but it still hangs around in formal business and legal writing. Before you use it, though, learn whether the recipient would appreciate older, formal phrases over current or semi-formal synonymous phrases such as “as [we] discussed” or “as promised.”
Now, as per our conversation, how comfortable are you with such phrases?