Thanks to technology, we have a wealth of choices for communicating in the office and beyond. But herein lies the challenge. While communication is often thought “how can I communicate this best,” it is also essential to consider, “how does the receiver understand best?” The focus should not be how “I” prefer to communicate but instead how your recipient will receive the message best.
Some of these rules may seem pretty intuitive, but the workplace is an ever-changing environment that has evolved considerably even within the last year. This is why a quick review is never a bad idea.
An email is a form of one-way communication, meaning it does not allow for an immediate exchange of ideas. If you plan to use email as your communication tool, consider its limitations and your strategy for getting feedback. Aside from using email as a logistics coordination tool, it’s best used as follow-up meetings or conference calls to recap concepts and agreements and gain alignment between groups.
Email is most effective to:
- Provide directional, important and timely information
- Share detailed information and data
- Ensure there’s a record of your communication
- Direct the receiver to an online source for more information
- Provide brief status updates
DO use email to:
- Provide one or multiple audiences with a brief status update in the body of a message
- Deliver a longer message or information as an attachment to your intended receivers
- Give timely information consistently to a group of receiver(s)
- Prompt the receiver(s) to view web-based content or other content that’s attached
DON’T use email:
- To give bad or negative news
- When dealing with emergency situations
- To provide complex, detailed or lengthy information or instructions
- When the receiver deserves an opportunity to provide immediate feedback or response
- When there might be nuance or context that can’t be understood by written words; to express feelings
