You, Me and Email

By Michael Shoemaker, CPM, USCPM, Guest Author
mtshoemaker@utah.gov

Occasionally, I take a moment to talk with family, friends, or coworkers about my experiences with technology. It is astonishing to me that I spend a great portion of my work days using a mode of communication that was nonexistent as I went through grade school, middle school, high school, and some years in college. Unlike the first time I surfed the web, I cannot recall the first time that I pressed “send” to an email message, but I am still astounded and in awe that I can send a message through the air wirelessly at any time of day, from anywhere, to nearly anyone for free, or almost for free. When I consider how I wrote to my pen pal in Arizona while in grade school, I realize I did so without any of the benefits that come with email. I remember the sweet pain of anticipation while I waited for his reply to my letter. It worked, but it was a very different mode of communication.

Although I acknowledge most of the time the benefits of email communication outweigh the harm, as with all forms of communication, email can be hurtful. How many of us would willingly pay $100 to recall a sent email message because of how it injured somebody? How many of us, when we hand write a letter, discover that our spelling and grammar are not as good as we thought? When a friend or family member moves, how many of us mutually agree to keep in contact via email but never did? How many of us recognize a greater camaraderie with professionals with whom we must talk face-to-face on a regular basis than with those with whom we mostly communicate via email? Although troubles may abound, it is inevitable that I will send this article by email to this newsletter’s editor and feel good that I have used the most efficient means currently available. It is also inevitable that some soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan today found out they have a new baby through the wondrous gift of email.

Due to technological advances, it is possible in our lifetimes we will migrate to another form of communication as pervasive as email. Personally, I would appreciate it not requiring me to input individual letters from a keyboard. In the meantime, what are some things that we can do to use email in its most efficient, kind, and respectful manner?

Through the internet you can find numerous email “how to” tips ranging from excellent to good to poor. Instead of adding to this body of knowledge, I hope you will consider three questions as you reflect on how you are using email as a tool.

• Is email the best form of communication for what I am trying to communicate and with whom I am communicating? Frequently, it will be the most time efficient method, but consider how many times you have had to send a third or fourth email to explain the meaning of your first email. Sometimes a phone call or staying after a meeting for a few minutes is better. Each of us will decide what mode of communication to use and will gain the benefits or experience the consequences of these decisions. My suggestion -- reflection before selection of which mode of communication to use.
  
  
• Do you reread, edit, proofread, revise, and simplify your messages to enhance understanding? You may remember times when reading an email left you not understanding any better what the person wanted from you than before you read it. Not every email requires revision. However, if you remember past frustration and confusion spread by a poorly written email, you may find the time to revise at least once or twice. In so many business exchanges, one email may be the first or only impression somebody gains of you and your organization. Email is not neutral, innocuous, or trivial. It can be a deal maker or a deal breaker.
  
  
• How will I apologize for sending or forwarding a harmful email? Emails impact but they do not make decisions. Those sometimes irrational, emotional, highly subjective, discriminatory, blatantly forthright humans are the decision makers. Everybody has made or is about to make a small or large email mistake that has interpersonal consequences. Because email is a nearly immediate form of communication, an immediate apology is nearly always best. It is very unlikely that a coworker will remember your approach, but it is very likely that they will remember whether you did or did not apologize.

I am interested in your thoughts on this topic. You can call me at (801) 538-7746, write me at 250 East 500 South/ P O Box 144200, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4200, or, of course, email me at mtshoemaker@utah.gov. May your email adventures be truly prosperous.

© Copyright 2009, American Association of Certified Public Managers®