When to use e-mail and when to pick up the phone

It is so important in business communications to remember that words have power. They have the power to inform, the power to inspire and, unfortunately, the power to irritate. We all become so accustomed to communicating via e-mail that it is important to recognize that there are times when e-mail is not appropriate. Because we all telecommute, we cannot often have face-to-face discussions. Therefore, picking up the phone is critical at times when you want to ensure that your words are understood.

So, if you need to talk to a merchant, client or affiliate about an issue, potential problem, point of contention, etc., the BEST way to avoid confusion, misconceptions, etc., is to pick up the phone.

When to AVOID using e-mail:
- Never send e-mail when angry. Type your message in a text editor (don't let it anywhere near your e-mail client as the SEND button is so often confused for SAVE). After you are calm down, re-read the message, edit it and hit send. Or better still, pick up the phone and be professional in tone even when you're really steamed!
- Keep e-mails constructive in substance and professional in tone. Treat people with the same courtesy and respect in e-mail as you would do face-to-face.
- Write in a factual style, avoiding verbiage that can be misconstrued. E-mail is one-directional. The recipient cannot "hear" your intonation. You cannot see their facial expressions as your message is being read.
- Guard against sending e-mail that can be taken out of context or that contains confidential corporate information. E-mail is easily forwarded and copied. Once it leaves your account, an e-mail can take on a life of its own.
- Do not use slang or idioms that could be misunderstood outside your region or country.
- Resist replying to all recipients in a distribution list unless the sender specifically asks you to do so.
- Never use e-mail to communicate proprietary corporate information. With millions of hidden readers and dastardly hackers lurking in cyberspace, eMail simply is not secure.
- Never conduct negotiations by e-mail. If you are going to have a conversation that requires give and take, pick up the phone.
- If you're conducting a long interview with lots of questions, pick up the phone.
- If you are delivering bad news, it's always better to pick up the phone so you can explain, console, etc.
- If you have any reason to suspect your message will be misconstrued or confusing to the recipient, pick up the phone instead.

For managers, here are a few more tips:
- Don't become a robotic e-mailer to your employees or the members of your team. When you rely on e-mail to the exclusion of all other means of contact, you risk alienating others. Employees, customers and suppliers all crave human interaction. While some people may be content to communicate electronically nearly 100% of the time, others may feel slighted or unappreciated unless you maintain ongoing personal contact.
- Never use e-mail to fire employees or deliver bad news. Without the benefit of body language, facial expression, or intonation, e-mail is the worst way to deliver bad news to employees. Whether your objective is to terminate an employee or notify a department head of budgetary cutbacks, demonstrate respect for your employees by delivering bad news in person or by phone.
- Do not use e-mail to discuss an employee's performance with other managers. Managers are not required to like every employee on a personal level, but they are obligated to treat each worker with professional courtesy. If a manager needs to discuss an employee's professional shortcomings with the human resources director or instruct a department head to terminate an employee who just isn't working out, this discussion should be held in person and behind closed doors or by phone.

What about Instant Messaging?
Instant messaging is also written communication and can therefore be just as misconstrued as e-mail with the saving grace that, because it is mor e instantaneous, you might be able to quickly clear up any misunderstandings. However, in most cases picking up the phone is preferable to using instant messaging.

Instant messaging is really for quick communications (such as "Just reminding you our conference call starts in 10 minutes. See you there!" or "Hi. I'm checking in to see if you received that document I e-mailed you last night."). If you are communicating detailed instructions or sending documents, it's best to use e-mail as the message trail is easier to pick up later if the need arises.