Time Management
E-mail proving to be a double-edged sword in the workplaceby Joan Lloyd
For those readers who subscribe to our free, on-line newsletter, you know that occasionally we pose a question and get feedback from our readers about a current topic. Recently, we asked for opinions about e-mail…how it is helping and where it is hurting communication.
These comments are good advice for all of us:
Response: "I just read your latest newsletter, and you hit it right on the head about how e-mail can overwhelm some people, and how it can be used as a cowardly way to express oneself when a difficult topic comes up.
When you are annoyed or angry about a situation at work, it can be tempting to type out comments on e-mail to get them off your chest. I've heard people excuse that behavior by saying, 'I'm not good at face-to-face communication when I'm upset, so I put my thoughts on e-mail so I can compose them.' But when you think about it, you probably wouldn't have the courage to say aloud the thoughts you are typing. And if so, you really should not put them in e-mail.
Using the faceless medium of e-mail will probably only make matters worse, because you're more likely to be more hostile in your response than if you were on the phone or looking at a colleague in the eye. In addition, you lose the nuances of the spoken word that can be extremely important clues to a person's meaning and the tone of a message. Your message may come across as even more hostile than you intended, plus, there will be a written record of your poor communication choice, which can come back to haunt you!
Whether or not you're a manager, e-mail is not a good medium to use for "sensitive" communication. It is really meant for fast, efficient, paperless broadcast communication—not as a substitute for dialogue. As a corporate communications manager, I spread that word whenever I can, and I hope you'll continue to share that message with employee groups you encounter."
Response: "I am able to answer many questions sent by e-mail faster, and find that I get a faster response from e-mail than from phone messages left with secretaries or with answering machines.
E-mail allows people to answer the question directly, and get on with other business. Often, when a phone conversation takes place, the question is answered but the call becomes longer because of an exchange about other things.
So, e-mail allows one to get more things done quickly and move on to the next thing. Of course, everyone knows that e-mail will not substitute for the privacy of a phone or in person conversation. But, when I need a response quickly, e-mail usually gets me one."
Response: "I have an employee who now things that it is not efficient or useful to TALK to other people because we have e-mail. Her e-mail normally comes off with the wrong (negative) tone of voice. It's very annoying. The office would work better if we would talk to each other. I have succeeded in reducing the e-mail volume. The next step is to eliminate it so we have to talk more often."
Response: "I see technology impacting the people side of the business in a negative way because of the haste we sometimes use in sending/replying to messages.
I recall being told that the 'beauty' of e-mail was that it is understood that it is to convey our messages with speed. Therefore, it is assumed that we don't need to proofread to correct spelling or grammar mistakes. Unfortunately, when I receive a message that is poorly written, my first reaction is that the author is either sloppy, careless or weak in the English language. This might be far from the truth. Instead, the author might just be in a hurry."
Response: Another impact of communicating with technology is that emotion is out of the 'conversation.' No matter how carefully an author tries to convey any form of humor or sarcasm or light-heartedness, my experience is that it simply doesn't come across very well. Recipients of e-mail messages (or voice mail messages) might easily misunderstand the tone of the message. Because we don't know the frame of mind of the recipient when he/she opens the e-mail or listens to the voice mail, it points out that we need to be careful in leaving/sending our technological messages. And messages that are not done well can be an irritant. For example, rather than being pleased that you left a message, the recipient can be annoyed by our lack of organization as we 'rattle' on."
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Joan Lloyd is a speaker, trainer & consultant for companies of all sizes, from start-ups to the Fortune 500, as well as trade & professional associations across the country. Reach her at (800) 348-1944, Email info@joanlloyd.com, or www.joanlloyd.com.
