Email can be an effective channel of communication when both parties are willing to use it, are willing to respond promptly, and don't let email messages die in the inbox. What do you do when people you communicate with do not respond to your messages ... your requests are ignored, it seems like they don't care, and the effectiveness of your communication diminishes because anything you send disappears into an apparent black hole at their end. In short, what do you do when email loses its power to grab the attention of people with whom you need to communicate?
Regaining Attention
Here are three ideas to regain the attention of others:
- Talk with them about it. Call them on the phone, or even better, meet with them over coffee or lunch. Talk with them about how they are handling the communicating tasks of their role, and if there is anything that you can do to make it easier for them. Speak with them about what you think you need in return from them ... that you will need a response within 4 hours, or 8 hours, or the next day, or whenever. But be clear what your expectations are, and then be willing to hear about their expectations, requirements, and constraints. If email is to work, there needs to be a meeting of the minds toward a common approach for reasonableness, responsiveness, and appropriateness.
- Switch to a new channel of communication. Stop sending email messages that require an immediate reaction or response. If you absolutely need a response from someone else about an issue you are facing in your work processes, email isn't the right tool. Call them on the phone, or on their cell phone. If your organization has instant messaging, start an instant messaging chat and ask that way. If they are external to your organization, use a public instant messaging service or the IM capability in Skype. In short, if you are facing a decision point that requires immediate feedback from others, don't trust the discussion to email.
- Change how you communicate with significant others. If there are a handful of people that you deal with on a continual basis, from whom you need to secure feedback and input, consider stopping the use of email. If you need to regularly catch up with this group of people, coordinate around next actions, and discuss key decision points, call a daily 15 minute stand-up meeting or stand-up teleconference instead. Everyone in the group agrees to meet in person or by phone for no more than 15 minutes at a set time each day, say 8am. Each person gets to outline what they are working on, to ask for feedback on key points, and to establish delivery expectations for the subsequent day. Others can immediately provide feedback, double check on action point delegation, and ensure alignment and consistency. This one change to your communicating processes will make a significant difference to productivity, communication effectiveness, and clarity of action.
Email may lose its power of attention, but you still need to gain the attention of others. You can do so by setting joint expectations, switching to other means of communication, or changing your communications approach altogether.
What About You?
What strategies and tactics have you followed when email loses it power of attention?
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