Sometimes email isn’t the right communication tool. Either you’re trying to get too much information from someone – or too many people – or you’re conveying too much information.
Dave Pollard not only discusses 10 situations where email probably isn’t a suitable communication tool, but also put together this flowchart for figuring out which tool is right.
How do you guys feel about this? I think it’s quite well put together, although I’ve never felt the need to analyze these things this much.
When To Use Email & When Not To – [HowToSaveWorld]
I agree. I think to use this flowchart for every email that you get would be counterproductive.
Intuition will tell you the correct answer.
[...] Craig Childs of Lifehack wrote about a great flow chart David Pollard put together, that I think is very useful for a communication standard. At a minimum, it makes one think prior to using nukes to kill a fly or spitting in the ocean. [...]
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I think the “Are most participants physically co-located” and “Is the issue fast and easy to resolve? should be switched. Just because you are co-located doesn’t mean you should just assume face-to-face, IM should come first.
I hope the author isn’t seriously recommending using this on a daily basis, because this flowchart seems like over-analyzing the issue to me. (On the other hand, his list of ten situations when you should not use e-mail” is very good.)
It is missing one thing: POTS. The interruptive nature of 1-to-1 telephone and IM are similar, but telephone is a lot quicker for anything but yes/no answers.
Can you make that printer-friendly? I think that should be printed and hung up in every single cubicle. Honestly.
Hi, as a tech guy at an ISP I have to confirm Dave Pollard point of view. He could extend this chart with something like “Does the message has to get to the receiver guaranteed and in tie – eg. to win an contract?” -> Don’t use a EMail – use a fax instead!
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Why do so mmany people forget that one of the major values of email is that it’s non-interrupting? Unless you need an answer in realtime, use email! Why should I interrupt my co-workers by popping into their cubes or calling a meeting if I can send them email. Then they can think about the question and respond on their own time.
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You forgot “Are you trying to send large files (photos) or files of indeterminate size?”
-> Gmail, FTP or Chat file transfer.
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uups
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If you need a flowchart to know when to use e-mail, you have already lost the battle. This is far too complicated to provide value.
quite interesting.
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Uh, what about SMS?
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Where’s the good ol’ water cooler? I think we solve as many issues in the kitchenette as in the board room.
I think I’ll print it out on linoleum and tile my kitchen with it :)
hi, thanks…
Hi,
I liked the very way to show this modern way by communications by flow-chart. Congrats.
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[...] can be found at http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/when-to-use-email-when-not-to.html Published Aug 24 2007, 11:16 PM by [...]
[...] When To Use Email & When Not To August 20th, 2007 by Kolz Sometimes email isn’t the right communication tool. Either you’re trying to get too much information from someone – or too many people – or you’re conveying too much information. Dave Pollard not only discusses 10 situations where email probably isn’t a suitable communication tool, but also put together this flowchart for figuring out which tool is right. How do you guys feel about this? I think it’s quite well put together, although I’ve never felt the need to analyze these things this much. When To Use Email & When Not To – [HowToSaveWorld] Bookmark or Share this with a friend! [...]
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Is this flowchart available for re-use? Who is the author/copyright holder? Thanks!
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You forgot “Does the information involve a string of numbers and/or a URL?”
saying URL’s over the phone died in 1997.
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thanks sahsen begendim blogu :)
thanks, yes cimcime fena degil hele birde linkleri ekliyorlarya süper oluyor.
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Great article, our sales people and client relations managers should have that scheme pinned over their desktops.
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Very nice and impressive diagram. It quite oriented towards new technologies and leaves absolutely no room to letter writing. I wonder why that is. There should be some at least a few cases where writing a letter is more appropriate.
[...] Craig Childs of Lifehack wrote about a great flow chart David Pollard put together, that I think is very useful for a communication standard. At a minimum, it makes one think prior to using nukes to kill a fly or spitting in the ocean. [...]
[...] that involves strong emotions or high stakes. Similar rules have already been established about email etiquette, which the population is still absorbing in the digital [...]