This is Your Fourth Reminder

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CANCEL

July 2, 2009

Who can dispute that e-mail has incalculably advanced modern human communications?

E-mail has greatly accelerated the pace of global business. Information is shared, points of view are presented, and decisions are made instantly. This electronic tool provides the opportunity to include people in the process otherwise unavailable for a meeting or telephone call. It also allows the orderly storing of communications for retrieval when necessary.

Ahh, but who also could the discount double-edged sword this ease of instant communications presents?

Consider the following exchange between a commercial fleet manager and a senior executive (names changed to protect their dignities):

From: Joe North

Sent: Wednesday, July 01, 2009 1:02 PM

To: Mary Jane Smith, fleet manager

Subject: MVR reports

Hi Mary Jane,

Effective immediately, we will require annual MVR reports on all drivers of company vehicles and any authorized spouse/family member allowed personal use. Report expense will be billed to Safety/Risk Management.

Also, just a reminder that HR will be closed for July 3^rd for the July 4^th weekend and therefore unable to process new-hire driver background checks until next week. Let me know if you have any questions.

Best,

Joe North, VP, Human Resources

From: Mary Jane Smith

Sent: Wednesday, July 01, 2009 1:20 PM

To: Joe North

Subject: Re:MVR reports

Joe, we'll implement that policy change immediately.

Thanks for the 4th reminder; we've already scheduled the driver checks for next week.

Regards,

Mary Jane Smith, Fleet Services Manager

From: Joe North

Sent: Wednesday, July 01, 2009 1:25 PM

To: Mary Jane Smith, fleet manager

Subject: Re: MVR reports

No need for an attitude, Mary Jane; just being extra cautious.

Thanks.

Joe North, VP, Human Resources

 

From: Mary Jane Smith

Sent: Wednesday, July 01, 2009 1:27 PM

To: Joe North

Subject: Re: MVR reports

Oh no! hehehe I meant:

Thanks for the "JULY" 4th reminder ....

I had to re-read what I typed a few times, I didn't mean "fourth reminder." My apologies :)

Mary Jane

 

From: Joe North

Sent: Wednesday, July 01, 2009 1:30 PM

To: Mary Jane Smith, fleet manager

Subject: Re: MVR reports

Mary Jane,

My apologies for overanalyzing!  :) Happy July 4^th

Joe

Just a single omitted word and the simple message is misconstrued entirely by an important - and most likely influential - internal fleet customer. E-mail's advantage of instant communication can also be its career-endangering drawback.

In the busy, occasional frantic, pace of today's business, dashing off an e-mail response is so very easy. Just click send, and it's gone - incorrect grammar, unclear language, incorrect facts, and all. How many of you have ever pushed send, then realized to your horror the message to an important exec or client spelled her name wrong - or worse? And let's not even discuss the reality that e-mails never die, can always be retrieved by some techno-whiz from the "Are you sure you want to permanently delete this item" black hole.

Clarity and Proofing: Two E-Mail Commandments

Clarity, clarity, clarity. Proof, proof, proof. The Two Commandments of e-mail communication.

Write in clearly understood language. Avoid long run-on sentences; they're hard to read and too easily encourage the recipient to skim the contents without real comprehension. To facilitate readability, use bullet points when listing items or describing separate actions.

Always, always proof e-mails before sending. Assume the recipient was unfamiliar with the subject or event. Would he or she "take away" the message you intended? Without the body language of in-person discourse to put a message in context, an e-mail text can be misread, misunderstood, and misinterpreted.

Help for the Punctuationally Challenged

For help in honing your writing skills, particularly the importance of proper punctuation, read Eats, Shoots & Leaves, subtitled The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, by Lynne Truss and published by Gotham Books. This witty and entertaining little book will help "stick" the rules of punctuation in your mind unlike any dry high school English Composition text.

And one more injunction - a Third Commandment: never write in an e-mail what you wouldn't say to a person face-to-face.

This is your 4^th reminder. Enjoy your  4^th of July, that is.