Email tennis
The Australian Open tennis is currently underway in Melbourne where talented people hammer a ball back and forth in the pursuit of glory. Unlike email tennis where talented people hammer messages back and forth in the hope of never having to speak to the other person!
Of course, that's a cynical view, but it's also an honest one. I'm going to persist with the tennis analogies in the hope that this point lands (on the court, obviously).
Email - when used properly - should only ever be used for two types of communication:
Aces - these are pieces of information or statements. It's convenient to use email to disseminate these as it's one message to many. These emails may direct people to further information or provide contact details should anyone have questions. For the most part, they are served straight down the line.
Two shot rallies - these are very simple questions that have an immediate answer. The person sending the email may require a decision audit trail e.g. 'Can you confirm that I am OK to proceed?' In these examples a conversation will have taken place prior, with the email simply acting as confirmation.
Unfortunately, the emotional and productive drain caused by email is getting worse not better.
Cultural pressure within organisations forces people to follow the herd. To copy people into never ending conversations that go on for days. Yet most don't understand that email is an asynchronous tool, which means the recipient decides when they will attend to it, inevitably leading to email anxiety and technology addiction as you check every 5 minutes hoping to move the issue along.
There is a better way; one that removes this anxiety whilst improving communication, collaboration and relationships.
Most email tennis matches exist because people lack the confidence or skills to have a direct conversation, or because organisations have never established clear communication norms. This is often why you'll see emails marked URGENT that aren't treated as such!
Changing your status quo requires new habits and courage. Simply think about the best communication method to address your issue rather than defaulting to email.
If your message requires more than two exchanges or is urgent, pick up the phone or walk to someone's desk. If it's complex, schedule a conversation.
Then stick with your approach. Better still, get others to follow suit, because if everyone adopts these practices then (using my own clients as a case study) you can reduce inbox volume by a third and regain valuable, productive time.
The next time you're about to serve a message that will become a five-day rally, ask yourself: could this be resolved with a five-minute conversation? The answer is almost always yes.
Game, set and match.
---
*For a more in-depth analysis of email, I'll direct you to this piece I wrote for the Harvard Business Review.
