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Perhaps now more than ever, emails are the lifeblood of day to day workplace communications. But the truth is that not all emails are created equal. In fact, there are a few frustratingly common types that read like nails on a chalkboard. Avoiding these types of annoying or otherwise ineffective emails will not just make you easier to work with but also help you avoid costly mistakes down the road.
#1 – The “War And Peace” Email
One of the most gut-wrenching feelings in the midst of a busy day is getting a long, protracted important email, written as multiple dense paragraphs with no end in sight. Our eyes frantically dart around for main points, key questions or action words in an attempt to cut to the chase, but we’re soon resigned to the fact that we’ve just received the dreaded “War and Peace” email. With this type of email, we’re typically either forced to carve out significant time to read through the email and respond, or instead we mark it as unread and just move on with our day (dreading the need to reopen it later.)
Instead, Do This: Make sure emails are brief, focused and clearly highlight the requested action. Use bullets and white space to make them more readable. If you’re requesting a specific action, make that particularly clear right up front. For example, some teams that I’ve worked with have adopted the ground rule that any emails requiring action must include the word “Action” in the subject line to alert the receiver immediately.
#2 – The “Duck, Duck, Goose” Email
One of the most confusing and frustrating emails is the one that’s sent to multiple people requesting a single action. Too often the task falls through the cracks because everyone has the convenient excuse, “I thought s/he was working on it.” These vague emails aren’t just head scratching. They can be quite infuriating as they generate confusion and encourage questions.
Instead, Do This: If you’re sending an email to multiple people, identify (or at least suggest) who should take on the task and clarify why you’re including others on the communication. If you’re soliciting volunteers, state that clearly and include a specific response date.
#3 – The Unresponsive Email
One of the most frustrating emails to receive is one that didn’t respond to questions you posed in your initial email. After all, the point of sending emails is not to send emails but instead to get information, answers to questions, resolution of issues, right? Unfortunately, receiving this type of email triggers a need for additional emails, and no one wants that.
Instead, Do This: Highlight questions by bulleting or numbering them. If your message is long, consider repeating the questions again at the end of the email as an additional reminder. Also, some colleagues have a very limited attention span when it comes to responding to email questions so consider including only one or two questions per email (particularly if you’re asking questions on a range of topics or projects. It may actually prove more efficient to send separate emails for each topic area or project instead of listing all questions in a single email.
#4 – The Keyboard Courage Email
One of the most frustrating ways to start your day is reading an email peppered with sarcasm or invective that’s clearly been sent by someone who should’ve just picked up the phone (or stopped by for a quick chat). The truth is that we’ll often send an email in anger typing things that we’d never say in person. While the emotional release may feel good in the moment, the longer-term impact when that message detonates on an unsuspecting colleague is rarely worth the momentary satisfaction.
Instead, Do This: As a rule, emailing while angry is a recipe for disaster so try to avoid it at all cost. Instead, try one of these techniques. Draft an email, but sleep on it and reread before sending. Send your proposed email to a trusted friend for their feedback before sending it. Or get out of the email loop altogether and instead try to meet with them in person (or by video conference) to better assess and hopefully diffuse the situation.
#5 – The Avoidance Email
The simple truth is that increasingly colleagues will default to email when they don’t want to take the time to actually talk to someone. Contrary to popular belief, email is not the right communication vehicle for every situation and at times emailing can just complicate what could have been a quick and easy phone conversation, video chat or impromptu meeting. Getting an “avoidance email” oftentimes doesn’t move the needle sufficiently on a project or task, and instead just volleys the issue into someone else’s court.
Instead, Do This: Avoid the temptation to just reflexively email, and instead take time to determine the best mode (face to face, video chat/phone, text/instant message or email) for each communication. If the issue is complicated, urgent or sensitive in nature, avoid email and move towards a richer mode (like face to face or video chat).
Everyone complains about getting too many emails, but what’s worse than that is getting frustrating, offensive or poorly written emails. Don’t be that person! Indeed, the ability to send emails that are highly efficient and effective is a subtle superpower yielding huge dividends. Small tweaks to your email hygiene can not just save you valuable time during the day but also minimize conflicts and even boost your likeability in the workplace.
