The phone is your friend

Have you ever been trapped in a seemingly endless email thread? Have you ever sent an "urgent" email and waited what seemed like forever for a response? Have you ever been offended by the tone of an email? I know how powerless it feels to be beholden to your inbox. That's why I encourage you to remember a device that has been the friend of organizers for decades - the phone.

Instead of repeating the same ol' email cycle, pick up the phone and call the person you need to reach. You'll almost always get a faster response, be able to clarify and discuss topics in the moment, and receive the added bonus of saving your inbox those few extra messages.

How to get there?

• During critical moments, use email only to schedule calls and send some agenda topics beforehand, but not for every thought or comment.
• Always call first when an urgent matter arises.
• Never, and I mean never, reply right away to what is perceived to be a rude email. Take a deep breath. Sit on it and try responding with a request to talk it over on the phone. In a study done about 5 years ago, it was estimated that tone gets misconstrued by email recipients as much as 50% of the time. That's right, that email that you thought was so snarky probably wasn't meant to be.
• Use email as a "paper trail" - send notes after a call to confirm what was discussed verbally.
• For Gmail users, try the "Mail Goggles" lab feature. It helps prevent late night and "in the heat of the moment" emails. Go to your labs section under mail settings to turn it on.

Had an email chain turn bad? Share your horror stories in the comments!

Tony Guzmán is a Project Manager at EchoDitto.

Photo from Willy D, via Creative Commons