We Don’t Allow Your Type Around Here
I am always amazed by the creative license people take when writing their E-Mails. Strong Opinions, Editorializing, and Emotion emanate from many keyboards. One thing I’ve learned over the years is to type every E-Mail as if it will be read in a court of law.
In those uncomfortable times when the bottom falls out of a business relationship and companies end up in court…the written word is typically given more credence than people’s memories. That is why it is critical (especially if you are Customer facing) to review, re-read, edit, and review again any correspondence that leaves your desktop.
Just the Facts
I’m not saying that issues can’t be dealt with via E-mail. They should. What I am saying is to be mindful of how things are presented. Keep to the facts. “I told them a thousand times before, but you know how they are…” can be rewritten as “They had been informed a number of times previously but decided to not act upon the information.” Same message, big difference.
Why is this so important?
Exponential Distribution Lists: Distribution lists can contain scores of people that are working on a project that end up on the receiving end of a flaming E-mail. Those scores of people now have the ability to forward to their entire network of associates and it goes on and on.
Auto Fill is not Your Friend: I’ve heard too many gut-wrenching stories where someone is in a rush, types in the first name in the To: field in Outlook and Outlook takes care of the rest…Auto-Filling in the wrong name. In those extreme circumstances where E-mail ends up in the wrong Inbox, it’s better to have a professionally written E-mail with just the facts rather than an Op-ed piece that lays it out for the world to see.
It Could End up in Court: Electronic Discovery, or “e-discovery” could certainly show that the writer of an E-mail had a certain slant, disposition, or bias that could swing the case one way or the other.
Do’s and Don’ts
To stay out of these less than desirable situations, below are a couple of do’s and don’ts:
Don’t use sarcasm in E-mail. It never translates well.
Don’t fill your E-mail with your personal opinions or emotions. Keep it to the business at hand and deal with it professionally.
Do keep extremes out of your E-mail. Terms like “you always” or “they never” are rarely true and only fuel the fire.
Do let some time pass before you send an E-mail after a high-stress situation. The difference between sending an E-mail the very first thing in the morning rather than last thing the day before is really only minutes. But, it could save hours, days, and weeks of regretful complications and frustration.
Do review your To: list prior to sending sensitive E-mails. There are too many “Michael’s” and “Michelle’s” and other common names that, via Auto Fill, could receive an interesting E-Mail that you had not meant to send to them.
