Gibsonia Gazette

Email…What Is It Good For? February 7, 2010

In the song that I paraphrase in the headline above, the answer is, “ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!  Well in the case of Email that is not necessarily the case.  Email has become a blessing and a curse.

It’s a blessing in that it allows for quick communication. Compared to “snail mail”, it’s a quick and inexpensive way to move documents, and it allows for immediate follow-up.

The curse of Email manifests itself in what it has become.  It’s a way to avoid tough conversations, it has made people more isolated, and is subject to misinterpretation; the “voice” in which an Email is written is not necessarily the “voice” in which it is read.  Relationships have been broken over emails that were misunderstood.

Using Email to avoid a face-to-face conversation is unfair to the person receiving the message as well as the person sending it.  If you can’t confront an issue, in person or by phone and need to hide behind an Email message, you have bigger problems than you know.

People are isolating themselves more and more by using Email instead of having a conversation.  This happens all of the time and, what’s more, I’ve seen it happen with people in adjoining cubicles!  How ridiculous is that!

Can anyone honestly interpret the sender’s frame of mind when the Email was written? Will the receiving party be affected by their own mindset when reading the message?  Relationships are fragile and Email can innocently turn a positive relationship into a negative one.  Many people don’t even read their Emails before they hit the “send” button.  I would also opine that, if they did, there would be far fewer Emails sent and far fewer misunderstandings as a result.

Let us not forget also, that Emails have a long afterlife through the convenience of the “forward” button and archiving.  If you are concerned about your Email getting in front of the wrong eyes, DON’T SEND IT! Do it the old fashion way and pick up the phone.

Here are some ways in which Email should be used:

1. To ask a question that requires a short answer
2. To verify a meeting time
3. To send a document
4. To inquire about someone’s health and well being
5. To congratulate someone on a job well done (although a hand written note might be better)
6. As follow up to a meeting
7. To make an announcement to the entire staff at once

Here are some ways in which Email should not be used:

1. To reprimand someone
2. To start an ongoing conversation (use the phone or have a meeting)
3. If the subject matter is personal or confidential (remember, Email has an after life)
4. To discuss a third party without their knowledge
5. To gripe about something
6. To deliver a message that could be misinterpreted (this will take some thought)

There are some companies that have “No Email Fridays”.  People cannot communicate using email on Fridays, they must meet in person or use the telephone.

Finally, if you are not sure that your message should be Emailed, remember, “If it might offend, don’t send”, to paraphrase an old newspaper cliché.