Restoring decency in e-mail
… or, why saying “Good Morning” can make you a difference maker
I was recently having lunch with my 18 year old nephew who told me, during the course of our conversation, that he doesn’t use e-mail because it’s for “old people” (like me), only uses WhatsApp, and doesn’t know when the last time he literally penned a real letter, wrote in cursive, stuck it into an envelope, put a stamp on it, and placed it in a mailbox.
There a multitude of benefits to living in an “always on” mobile world. Yet, it’s also crude. Notifications comes at us from all angles: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Line, Skype, IM in Quip, Evernote, Asana, Slack, Todoist, Wunderlist, Asana, some other IM app I’m likely unfamiliar with … and then of course, there is e-mail (for us old folks).
When it comes to e-mail, in particular business e-mail, I believe there is (or should be) a different set of rules for engagement when communicating. If the goal of the communication is to simply write 140 characters or less, then perhaps e-mail isn’t the right medium.
If you must write out “Hi J. Tmrw @ 2 OK. TTYL. C U. -D” then for the love of all that is holy in business communication, send that in a text because you come off unprofessional and juvenile at best.
If the goal of your communication is to convey a point, articulate a strategic vision, or sell a prospect something, then I believe the etiquette of writing letters should be no different than an e-mail. To be clear, I’m not suggesting we say, “Dear Mr. Smith”, but you are sending an e-mail first thing in the morning, is it really so difficult to start with “Good morning guys, John”? Yet, I find people failing what I believe to be be common decency in everyday communications.
And yet, is it really so hard to say good morning? When emailing somebody first thing in the morning, especially after a weekend, is it too much to ask to start an e-mail out with “good morning”? Is it too much to ask someone to add a few more characters to the front of your email and say, “how was your weekend”?
To write “good morning”, those two little words, equal 12 characters. Adding a “I hope you had a nice weekend” is only 30 characters. Continue along with your message 42 characters later, I promise you that whomever you are emailing, the person on the other end will be delighted that you cared enough to say good morning.
Here’s a sample of something that I just absolutely despise. This is the entire e-mail:
“Don’t forget to send me your numbers as soon as possible.”
Note, the lack of a “hi” or a “please” or a “thanks”. Have we lost all decency in communication? It is one thing to be brief in an email, to treat email like Twitter and write 140 characters or less, but truly, in business, I think we can all do better.
I don’t think it matters whether or not it’s the CEO, a director, a VP, a manager, a colleague, or even a client. Don’t you think that what ever your message is that it would be received much better with a simple “good morning” in front of the message?
Dale Carnegie’s book, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is on the top three books that made a profound difference in my life. The lessons there are priceless and future-proof. The concept is simple, really: treat others with respect, dignity, and show a sincere interest in them.
In the age of very fast communication, the always on mentality, a little etiquette can still go an extraordinarily long way to building rapport, and help close more deals. Remember, in the time that it takes you to type out just 12 or 42 characters, you are becoming the difference maker because the receiver of your communication, unfortunately, isn’t expecting such (common sense) platitudes and decency. We can all do better; be better; and practice *Exceptionalism*.
