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E-mail easy to use, abuse |
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By Caroline Lalley
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Tuesday, 13 March 2007 |
Be careful to send clients, co-workers right message
Miscommunication happens to everybody, but the permeation of e-mail and instant messaging means it can happen more often and without the sender even knowing it.
“If used properly and at the right time, e-mail is invaluable,” said Phil Burian. “The problem is we abuse it a little bit, and now an extension to e-mail is instant messaging.”
Burian is dean of the College of Business and Management at Colorado Technical University.
Burian cites several pitfalls to avoid when e-mailing:
• Sounding robotic.
• Shouting tone.
• Misspelled words.
• Attachments too big to download.
Of course, nobody intends to “shout” in an e-mail, but a rushed message could come across that way to the recipient.
“Use it as an extension of how you would speak with someone,” Burian said.
More tips from Burian:
• “Express it just the way you would say it.”
• Be clear and crisp.
• Read it aloud to yourself.
• Know your audience.
“Personally, I draft an e-mail and read it back to myself. Look for corrections. Make sure it’s clear and crisp, going to the right audience,” Burian said. “Lastly, I always read it one last time and ask how is this going to be interpreted.”
And sometimes even the most conscientiously crafted e-mail isn’t appropriate.
“If I was going to counsel you on a client, I wouldn’t do it on the phone, so I wouldn’t do it by e-mail,” Burian said.
“People can hide behind e-mail. I’m a businessperson. I like the warm handshake.” |