According to Forbes we are distracted 7 times every hour. That adds up to 2.1 total hours a day of random distractions. I don’t know about you but those interruptions put me a little behind — and stress me out. This may be an endless cycle since distractions create delays, and delays cause more stress.
Stress contributes negatively on our lives and affects our work environment, including our daily communication. Many managers have said, “Leave your drama at the door” but that is just as impossible as it sounds; our personal lives affect our work lives.
If we are living a life with an increased amount of stress (personal or work related) this can cause you to be irritable, sick, and disengaged. CPP, Inc issued a study (resulting in the infographic below) saying that 64% of those surveyed say email is the source of confusion, resentment, and results in anger and misinterpretation.
We have given tip after tip on how to write effective emails and how to be better communicators, but what about how to be a better responder? Communication is a two way street. Today I am going to give you 5 tips that will help you succeed with effective email communication — from both sides of the street — by cutting down on the stress.
1. Dedicate Time
We, on average, receive 80 emails a day. It is important to spend time responding to or answering each of those emails. Dedicate “communication time” throughout your day to check your email. Try checking your email when you first get into the office and then 4 other times throughout the day. Limit each “communication time” to about 20 minutes. This will eliminate the constant all day email distractions and will keep you focused. With less distractions you will be more productive and less stressed.
Before you fire off your response, re-read your reply. It is common, that when sending emails internally you will have some typos that may lead to miscommunication. Though some typos are harmless, a few not so harmless typos can throw your co-workers for a loop. Avoid the stress of upsetting or offending someone by simply re-reading your replies.
It can be easy to start rambling in an email, especially if you are stressed out. When you are under pressure, you may find yourself over communicating. Remember, longer emails take longer to read. If you want to have effective email communication skills get straight to the point. It is important to include some personality in your emails — no one likes a dry email. But, don’t go over the top. Leave out the unnecessary chatter clogging up the email world.
It can be easy to instantly respond to an email when it arrives. Then maybe you find yourself later wanting to say something different to the same person. Maybe someone asked you a question, and immediately after hitting send you realize you gave them the wrong answer. If you want to have effective email communication skills and minimize your stress, slow down and think through your entire email. By dedicating time to your emails, re-reading, and limiting your unnecessary chatter you are more likely to avoid clicking “send” too early and causing yourself more stress.
Have you ever worked on a project to find out that it wasn’t needed? Our best tip is to always click “reply all” to your emails. This makes sure that everyone stays on the same page. Doing extra work stresses people out — no one enjoys wasting time. Just remember to simply press “reply all.”
So let’s eliminate the stress headaches with effective email communication. These simple tips will help you get on the right path to successful communication. To learn more about how your email is working for you, check out the infographic below and have a stress free day!
