Email (sigh),,, and again

Some people ask me why so many of our web site tips and my blogs are about email and related topics. It's because I hear more complaints about email than any other aspect of today's work environment -- even more than about "the boss"!

Last time I provided some ideas on things you could do as the "sender" to improve your email communications and reduce wasted time / effort. This time, I'd like to provide a few things that you can do as the "recipient":

1. Don't make any assumptions about the sender's emotional state. Sometimes we assume the sender is angry with us because we receive what  reads as a "rude" response. Many people are not great writers, and a missing word or two can change the tone of the entire message.

2. Don't escalate a conflict by sending an emotionally charged response. It's easy to hide behind your computer and send off an angry message -- making the problem worse. Pick up the phone and set up a fact-to-face meeting to resolve the conflict.

3. Ask the sender for clarification. While you can ask for more information by replying to a message, you might get clarification quicker over the phone or in person.

4. Use your email program's built-in tools to help organize messages. For example, MS Outlook allows you to set up Rules to filter incoming messages into folders and to use Automatic Formatting to have messages from certain people or with certain words/ phrases visually stand out in your Inbox.

5. You don't have to respond to every message right away. Manage the expectations of those who send you messages. Turn off the email pop-ups (Desktop Alerts in MS Outlook) that interrupt you and give you the feeling that the newly arrived message is the most important you have to do.