Apart from Luddites, who have something against anything digital or related to a computer, people generally put forward a common argument against using e-mail to resolve a dispute. It goes something like this: it`s fine to bring up something controversial in e-mail, but as soon as tempers start flying and things get heated, it`s better to come out from behind one`s computer and get it all out, face to face.
E-mail, so the theory goes, makes people too brave for their own good: they 'hide' behind their mailboxes.
E-mail, so the theory goes, makes people too brave for their own good: they "hide" behind their mailboxes. The result, it would appear, is that people have arguments that are a few sizes too big for them. In other words, e-mail apparently encourages cowardice and makes people unrealistically brave.
I don`t buy that argument. I think e-mail is a fine collaborative tool. By "collaborative tool" I don`t mean to imply that we should all go back to e-mailing each other Word documents or Excel spreadsheets for discussion (although, truth be told, that`s a good way of working collaboratively). I think collaboration in the workplace relates directly to the extent to which colleagues are "in touch" with one another. In today`s wired organisation, a lot of this type of opinion-based communication takes place in virtual space.
I`d much rather deal with meandering e-mail messages than with the rambling voice mail that some colleagues sometimes leave for me. "Hi Carsten, I`m phoning because I`ve just come out of a meeting with X, and he said we should look into some collaborative marketing spend with them because otherwise they foresee the competition`s product will get more in-store mileage over the Christmas season, and that would be a shame. I was wondering if we could get together and discuss this sometime, perhaps Thursday or Friday, depending on what your diary..." BEEP. People sometimes leave voice mail that I delete before I`ve heard the whole message. Voice mail, I think, isn`t a particularly good discussion forum. It`s sort of one-sided and not very satisfactory that way.
On the other hand, I do read e-mail. Even if I only skim-read it, I will usually take in the gist of a message and respond accordingly. Even if my response is short, at least I have a full set of information to deal with.
E-mail is also a really good discussion tool. Once new recruits to the company have moved beyond their initial fears and stopped sending bad jokes to the staff forum, some become quite proficient at this medium. Even if it`s an off-the-wall request, I`ll probably consider it if it`s put forward via e-mail.
I`m usually polite in e-mail and I try to be as personable as possible. It is, however, an art form to put oneself across well with e-mail. Generally, there is a lack of good writing skills out there, whether it pertains to e-mail, faxes or letters. E-mail in particular seems to bring out the worst in people. Sometimes I get mail from colleagues who, in person, are the sweetest, politest people possible, while their e-mails makes them sound like barking dragons without a stitch of human decency or compassion. Putting one`s personality across meaningfully takes consideration as well as skill.
Formatting e-mail well is another skill some people never learn. In my five or so years of using e-mail, I`ve yet to work out whether it`s a personality issue or whether people can be conditioned to write quality e-mail.
In my opinion, there are a few basic rules of thumb to follow. Firstly, e-mail should be formatted to meet the lowest common denominator. If it`s not text, chances are half the recipients won`t be able to read it. While HTML is a nice enough format, it has no place in e-mail. ASCII text is the way to go, period. If it needs formatting, attach it as a MIME enclosure. If it needs a background picture, put it on the Web and send people the URL.
Secondly, I think people are often too timid in e-mail. This is probably either (a) because they`ve heard all the horror stories regarding endless, pointless flame wars or (b) because they subscribe to the theory that e-mail is for cowards. Personally, I feel conflicts can be resolved quite effectively through the medium. Writing something down helps one think it through and it`s good to have a record of en entire discussion. No more "he said, she said" scenario. If you need the history of a fight, it`s all right there in your mailbox.
Thirdly, think about what you`re going to write and make sure it`s polite and error-free. There`s nothing worse than getting a piece of mail without any apostrophes and all in CAPS.
Lastly, learn the difference between "its" and "it`s". I used to think this was a particular South African trait, but it appears as though the entire English-speaking world doesn`t know the difference. I will give two examples, in simple, grammatically correct English, to illustrate the usage of the different forms of the word.
* It`s quite nice to have coffee on a Sunday morning.
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