Don’t Send that Email. Pick Up the Phone.

Another solid reminder from the HBR blog.  (After just firing off 100 emails in the past hour. 🙂 ) It certainly is “easier, quicker, less stressful and less confrontational” to bang out an email and move on to other things.  Is it more effective?  Depends if topic is straightforward.  Not so if the topic is complicated, sensitive, nuanced or requires some brainstorming.  Author suggests that it is hard to get the EQ right in email and emails are easy to misread.  Email also promotes reactive responses which you may regret once you’ve thought through the most appropriate reply. I certainly agree with all of this.  The punch line:

Email is one of the greatest productivity contributors of the past two decades

However, digital channels cannot substitute for a live conversation.

The next time you experience an issue over email, ask yourself if it is something that would be better served by a real conversation. Then have the courage to stop emailing and pick up the phone. Or even better: have a meeting.

Sources: HBR: Don’t Send that Email.  Pick up the Phone.  Image – socialbutterflyguy.com