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LOL, TTFN And More E-Mail Musings

The newest computer can merely compound,
at speed, the oldest problem in the relations between
human beings, and in the end the communicator
will be confronted with the old problem,
of what to say and how to say it.
-Edward R. Murrow

By Kim Bedier, CFE

I have a confession to make, fellow facility managers: I am having a love-hate relationship with the e-mail program on my computer. I love it, because I can communicate at any time with my network of friends and colleagues around the globe. I hate it, because two weeks ago the e-mail server crashed, and I have had to find a way to survive without all those e-mails and folders and schedules that – admit it – we simply cannot live without.

The IT wizards tell us we will recover, and this period of amnesia will pass. In the meantime, the odd surprise has surfaced (“We’re here waiting, will you be able to make this meeting?”) and I have learned the hard way the importance of backing up in order to go forward.

I have learned a lot more than just how to back up. Not having e-mail for a couple of days gave me time to pause and ponder the juggernaut that e-mail has become. Upon occasion recently I had allowed myself to wonder whether all that e-mail that originally seemed so helpful had actually become the enemy of my efficiency. This latest e-mail disappearing act has only served to justify my concerns. Perhaps if I share with you a few of my musings on e-mail, I can help rescue you from your own e-mail quicksand.

First of all, it has become far too easy to fire off a quick e-mail on any subject. Remember how your mother used to tell you to think before you speak? Over e-mail we seem to too easily forget this time-honoured advice.

And have you noticed that even though the people you deal with on a daily basis seem to know how to talk, not all of them know how to type? Or spell? Make sure your professional image extends to your computer screen. Use those built-in tools and consider not sending anything out without a spellcheck (spell cheque?).

One of the very good things about e-mail is that you do have the opportunity to thoughtfully compose an intelligent message, check it for grammatical and spelling errors, and send it on its merry way. On the down side, it is also easy to misinterpret and react in anger to a message that you have received. I highly recommend the golden rule of e-mail: “The 24-Hour Rule.” If you are at all worked up about a message, compose a response immediately if you like, but store it and come back to it the next day. (My theory is that if someone is sending you an e-mail, they should not expect an immediate response. If they need to reach you quickly, they should pick up the phone and call you). Buy yourself some cooling off time to re-read that response before you hit “send.” You will react with a lot less emotion and could save yourself an argument or compounded misunderstanding. Likely you will end up sending an entirely rational response, very different from the one you might have sent the day before.

It is particularly challenging holding an e-mail “conversation” with someone you have never met. You are not able to rely on those interpersonal cues that come in to play when you converse face-to-face or even over the telephone. Communication between humans is approximately 90 percent body language, eight percent tone of voice, and two percent what you actually say. With e-mail, you remove the first 98 percent. Be aware of this when you write e-mails. Anything you write in an e-mail is at the mercy of the recipient’s perception, mood or even reading ability. Keep it simple, clear and concise to reduce the risk of reader error.

I think I will become an outspoken advocate for interpersonal communication. In this age of e-mail and blackberries and palm pilots, I believe we are losing the ability to give our associates the courtesy of live conversation. I have even caught myself exchanging e-mails back and forth with someone who works down the hall. It has become too easy to hide behind our computers. Let’s get reconnected, but not over a high-speed cable. Don’t we always say our business is all about relationships?

How many e-mails do you receive a day? And how many times do you check them? Here’s a challenge for you: record how much time you spend on e-mail in one day. Is it really making you more efficient? The average worker today gets between 60 – 200 e-mail messages in a single 9-to-5 workday. With our extended venue industry hours, how many more add up on our machines? It may be wise to set aside a certain time each day to check those e-mails. Turn off the notification that tempts you to peek at your e-mail throughout the day. You may find yourself getting a lot more accomplished.

I am always suspicious of the “flowery” e-mail – you know the ones, with the fancy wallpaper, coloured ink and cute little icons wandering around the screen. I am not sure they offer the tone of professionalism work-related e-mail calls for. I am all for individuality – but not at the risk of cuteness. Not everyone is up on the latest e-mail abbreviations (LOL) or how to decipher a semicolon/ bracket combination ;-} Watch out for too much “rich text” – like too much rich food, it can make your reader queasy.

I consider e-mail one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century. But along with e-mail has come great stress. For me, its pitfalls include:

- Information overload. How can we possibly keep up with hundreds of e-mails a day?
- Miscommunication and misinterpretation: “I know you understand what you think I said.”
- Blurring of the boundaries between work and life – you can access your e-mail from anywhere at any time. Stop the madness!
- Lack of privacy. We all know you should never e-mail anything you wouldn’t want to read on the front page of the paper. You never know who is being “BCC’d” on your response. And are you sure you need to hit “reply to all”? Finally, the “black hole” of e-mail: to anyone who sent me e-mail around the weekend of March 7, 2004, I wasn’t being rude – your e-mail crashed, burned and went directly to that great inbox in the sky. Be aware that there is a myriad of ways a message can get lost, misconstrued or confused. If you really want to be sure, pick up the phone and call.

What about e-mail etiquette (or should we call it “netiquette”)? Your mother taught you to say “thank you” followed by “you’re welcome.” However, considering the sheer volume of e-mail traffic we must manage these days, I’m okay if you don’t say thank you and I won’t tell your mother.

So Mr. Murrow, how do we know these days just what to say and how to say it? My take on it is that we should view email as a positive tool to be used to our advantage, but we must make sure we stay in control of the what, how, when, where and maybe even the impact on our work and real life. And with that, TTFN – I’ve got mail. Call you later!

Kim Bedier, CFE, is general manager of the Everett Events Center in Everett, Washington. She can (barring a crash) be reached at kbedier@everetteventscenter.com.