While spending time consulting with several managers over the last few weeks a common dilemma emerged. The dilemma was around the rise of e-mail or texting as a primary means of communication and all the problems that came along with that evolution. Here is a breakdown of some of the most common problems associated with web based communication and some antidotes for each.
1) The Loss of Context- This can be a big one! When reading or writing an e-mail we typically assign a “tone of voice” in our heads that frames the context of the communication. At Carew we call that being in your own odds are. You are choosing to assign the “tone of voice” to either what you write or what you read without any way to insure the message is being received in the same “tone” as which it was written. Have you ever experienced anger while reading an e-mail then fired off a response in the “same tone” in which you read the original communication, only to later wish you could retract the e-mail? I think we have all had some version of that experience. I could cite several examples where the “tone of voice” was so misunderstood on both ends that the situation ended with two very upset people over an original e-mail that was simply not clearly interpreted. Here are a couple of tips for this dilemma. First, any time you sense anger on the other person’s part in an e-mail you receive, break the chain immediately. Pick up a telephone and discuss the situation in person, this will help avoid a ton of potential problems. Secondly, when you are sending an e-mail that may be construed in a negative tone, consider either how you might be most clear or, once again, pick up the phone and discuss the subject in person. Often times when communicating informally or with other employees a symbol such as a smiley face or the infamous “LOL” can help diffuse potential misunderstandings.
2) Reply to All: Wow, I hate this one! Most of the busy managers I know find that they receive upwards of 20% of their e-mail in the form of responses where the sender chose “reply to all” versus just replying. Often times we are copied on e-mails that are sent to a large number of people asking for some sort of response or decision. Even though you may not have been the primary recipient for the requested answers, you are still copied by every person who chooses to respond by hitting “reply to all”. How many people really care that Bob in accounting “got it” as his response? Probably not many, and even if you don’t read them you still have to take the time to sort through the inbox and delete the “replies to all”. Can we just make a pact to enact company policies where this practice has some guidelines? Let the people you work with know that unless there is some very relevant reason why you need to copy everyone on your e-mail responses, DON’T! We promise we won’t feel left out or less important that you didn’t copy us on your response J If you want to see how this dilemma can actually cause more than just brain damage check out the article in this link.
3) Pass the Monkey: One of the most reproduced articles of all time from the Harvard Business Review is one entitles “Management Time: Who’s got the Monkey?” by William Oncken Jr. and Donald L. Wass. If you haven’t read it I highly recommend it as a great article on the power of delegation and how to keep your subordinates “monkeys”, or responsibilities, from jumping onto your back as a leader. That article was originally written in 1974 but it is as relevant today as ever. One of the things that have changed since then however is the newest, most effective vehicle in the world for allowing “monkeys” to jump from the backs of your team members squarely onto yours, and that is e-mail. How many times have you experienced someone failing to accomplish a critical task only to be met with the ubiquitous response, “But I sent you an e-mail about that”? On further investigation you discover that the “monkey” was buried deep in the text of an unrelated e-mail and, in the minds of the sender at least, leapt onto your back as delegated back to you. One of the best ways to avoid this reverse delegation is to institute several policies related to communication. The first is, any e-mail that requires action on the part of the recipient should clearly state it in the heading of the e-mail. The second part would be to institute a policy that no commitment to action on the part of the recipient of e-mail should ever be assumed unless a confirmation return e-mail has been received.
4) E-mail as the Primary Communication Vehicle with Customers: In talking with many managers I am finding that this is becoming more and more of a problem in maintaining strong customer relationships. The problem is as straightforward as the solution. It is easy to get sucked into a situation where you are communicating almost exclusively with a client by e-mail when all of a sudden a problem comes up that caused you to realize it is the first time you have actually spoken to the client in quite some time. The solution to this problem is to institute a policy where a ratio of no more than two e-mails to one “in-person” conversation with a client is acceptable as a ratio of contact methods. This is easily monitored by installing, if you don’t already have one, a notation on your management report that denotes how the client was contacted. (E-mail, phone, in person, etc.) By the way, leaving a voice mail is just another version of not maintaining the relationship and shouldn’t count as an “in person contact” towards the ratio mentioned above.
Communicating via e-mail or text messaging can be a powerful tool if used wisely and in the correct context as well as the correct balance as part of an overall communication strategy. I hope these tips are useful in helping you make the medium more manageable through “Taming the E-Mail Beast”.
Chuck Terry is the Executive Vice President and CSO of Carew International and is regular contributor to Carew’s blog – Executive Insights
Carew International is a leader in sales training and leadership development; specializing in comprehensive, proven training programs for sales, sales management and customer service excellence. For over 30 years, Carew has earned its reputation of delivering increased productivity and profitability to our valued clients world wide.
