Email is a great tool. It allows us to communicate information to many people at once, even in different time zones. We can keep a record of who said what when and to ask questions while we are on a conference call (admit it, you do it too).
It also has a dark side. Many of us get buried with hundreds of emails a day. Between being CC’d and BCC’d on email strings that go around and around, plus people not reading the whole string before asking a question that was already answered, it is almost impossible to find and reply to the emails that actually need us to respond. There is also a way to track ip addresses and sender details if being escalated to the authority. There is also the passive/ aggressive non-response. You send an email and the other person either doesn’t know the answer or doesn’t want to talk about the subject so they simply ignore you. Avoidance is such an ugly thing.
10 tips to stop hiding behind email
If you are concerned the other person might misunderstand you – don’t use email
If you are angry or frustrated – don’t use email
If you write an email and then wonder if you should send it – don’t use email
If the content is critical, complicated or includes feedback – don’t use email
If you are trying to protect yourself from the response – don’t use email
If you think you might hurt the other person’s feelings – don’t use email
If you wouldn’t say it to the person directly – don’t use email
If you need to apologize – don’t use email
If you feel like you need a read receipt – don’t use email
If it is a tough conversation you’d rather not have – don’t use email (and don’t ignore it)
If you are incapable – don’t use email…
There are so many face to face and voice to voice communication options available. If you don’t know how to use at least one video chat option (I have had reasonable luck with both Skype and Google chat for coaching calls), schedule time to become comfortable with one. Pick up the phone or schedule a call. If you feel like you need an email trail about the conversation, follow up with a summary or “for your files” email.
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