I had the opportunity to deliver a presentation focused on how to drive
Given the amount of e-mail we consume on a daily basis and my first-hand experience relative to the damage e-mail miscommunication can cause, I can state without hesitation or reservation; the ability to listen effectively to an e-mail can be a career asset, and that the inability to effectively listen to an e-mail can negatively impact or derail a career.
The following maps 7 keys to effective listening, courtesy of an article, The 10 Principles of Listening published on the Skills You Need website, to my own e-mail listening best practices:
Effective In- person Listening Practices | Effective E-mail Listening Practices |
Stop Talking |
Control your instincts to write a response to an e-mail before you even finish reading it in its entirety. |
Remove Distractions | Do not multi-task when reading work related e-mails. |
Empathize |
If an e-mail outlines a problem or issue that requires your assistance do not respond by pointing a finger of blame in your response. Put yourself in the e-mail author’s shoes. Ask questions to learn how you can best resolve the issue at hand and then look to discover the root cause. Putting someone at ease often seems to empower them to solve the problem or issue they are presenting to you.
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Be Patient |
If you are looking for an answer in an e-mail and it does not contain the answer you were looking for then do not assume your request was ignored and respond with a negative tone. Take a breath and read it again as it may have the answer which you did not identify in your initial read. If not, ask a question in your response that confirms that they understand what you were looking for in an e-mail from them. |
Avoid Personal Prejudice |
Do not pre-judge the importance of a work related e-mail solely based on its author. |
Listen to the Tone |
Read each e-mail carefully, and read between the lines to sense the tone being communicated, is it angry, urgent, humorous, etc.? Never respond to an e-mail in anger, especially to one that has an angry tone. |
Watch for Non-Verbal Communication |
Look for what is not said in addition to what is said in an e-mail. Sometimes what is not said is as important as what is said. |
Of course, I must share my own GOLDEN RULE OF E-MAIL LISTENING: Any time you receive an e-mail which evokes a strong emotional response from you, wait at least 30 minutes to respond (if you can), and get a trusted colleague to read your response to make sure your response has the right tone and content.
I hope this blog is the beginning of a conversation around best practices in how to “listen” and react effectively to an e-mail.