It is not the instantaneous communication it was once considered.
In fact, email is the new snail mail.
It is slow. People read it infrequently. And they respond even less.
If you want something done quickly don’t send an email.
Email is Not Instantaneous
The other day a colleague sent me an email saying they would be late to a meeting… and they sent it two minutes before the meeting.
Huh?
Do they think I am sitting at my computer staring at my inbox?
Do they think I have my smartphone set up so that it “chimes” every time they email me?
(The answer to both is… NO.)
How could they expect anyone to see this email mere seconds before a meeting? Instead, the entire team was wondering where this individual was during the meeting. When he finally arrived, 20 minutes late, he was surprised that no one had received his last-minute email.
The bottom line is that email is not a timely communication method. You can’t expect others to be awaiting your each and every email as it arrives in their inbox. Chances are, their inbox is overflowing with others messages and communications.
Hopefully, they will respond to your email. However, if you need an immediate response or action, email is not the correct communication method.
Avoid using email for time-sensitive issues.
Here Are Some Last Minute Emails You Should Never Send:
- Meeting Cancellations – Respect other people’s time. Don’t cancel meetings moments before they begin. Give them enough advance notice to reclaim their time.
- Late Notices – Anyone who is waiting on you shouldn’t need to check their email to know where you are.
- Urgent Matters – If it’s urgent, use a more direct method of communication.
- Appointment Requests – Don’t expect others to jump or rearrange their schedule at the last-minute just because you didn’t plan ahead.
- Anything You Need a Response to Today – You should not expect an email response in the same day. Expect that others are busy doing their activities and they will get back to you, when they get back to their email.
Never Ever Send Last Minute Emails
Don’t send emails when the issue is time sensitive.
Call. Text. Or even go see the person… in person.
But, whatever you do, never ever send a last-minute email.
Question: Do you encounter last-minute emails in your workplace? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
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That’s the theory, Craig. And then come the sales guy… you know, the tribe that had decided that you can be subject to tallage at “merçi”…. the tribe who is always “out of the office” but the BB of whom can schedule a meeting to start in the next few minutes.
For this special Outlook group of contacts, I have an unstoppable receipt: a special rule that answers (1) that the email has well been received, (2) that the inquiry has been pushed in my “ad hoc” time slot of task-calendar and (3) that I will response when I will proceed this task.
This tribe does know nothing on GTD, productivity and workflow, so they do not know what to type on their BB keyboard as answer…. and they can’t: the meeting is starting !
And by the way Craig, can you remove the Johnny’s answer below about pensions ?
Thanks… got it. 🙂
Simply picking up the phone is usually quicker these days!
BTW Craig, I have replaced a lot of email communication with Slack. It also helps to keep my inbox clean.
Slack is one of the best kept secrets these days. It has all but replaced email for my team.
Look for a post soon on it. 😉
I love people who tailgate their own email across the office… have you read my email yet? Which? I sent it about 15 minutes ago, have you dealt with it yet?
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