One of the most popular, and sometimes worst, means of organizational communication is email. Don’t get me wrong, email is easy, convenient and provides the necessary amount of detail for audit trails, but a lot can go wrong with email conversations if you’re not careful. Sarcasm and tone completely get lost in translation so senders need to be really cautious about how their words are coming across to others. Using all caps is another faux pas. It makes people feel like they’re being yelled at and can come across as disrespectful.
Anyone on the receiving end of a sarcastic email or an email in all caps is most likely going to end up confused or think that the sender is definitely not a nice person (not to mention a few eyes will be rolled and there may be some whispering behind the sender’s back). So to save yourself from getting a bad rep, stay positive and direct to the point when writing emails. One thing I always do is end each email with a ‘Thanks!’. I like to think the exclamation point puts a friendly note on the email and the receiver is more likely to respond back to my email quicker than to an email that may come off as rude or demanding.
Good basics on email, Kellie. Equally important is learning when to use email and when to find other methods of communicating.
ReplyDeleteI worked for a screamer in both the literal and digital sense(Voice Mail at the time). He would leave scathing VMs after hours including the most vial phrasing one could imagine. He eventually graduated into email as time progressed. However he didn't realize that email has a trail and that it never goes away. The VM recordings and eventual email trail cost him his job!
ReplyDeleteOne really needs to consider what is being said or written before they hit send! You can not un-ring a bell:)
You know what throws me off in emails... people who use the "winky" face. For instance, thanks for the timely report ;-)
ReplyDeleteNow is that winky face serious or not? Are you REALLY(forgive my caps) saying thank you or are you being sarcastic that you wanted it sooner?