Which method of communication is most appropriate? Recent technology has provided us with many communication tools, but the state-of-the-art tools are necessarily appropriate. It is important to make the right selection among the hi-tech tools available.
Email is not necessarily fast. Although email is sent instantaneously, it may not be received quickly. Some people may check their messages once a day or once a week. So, an email would only be effective if you know the receiver reads his or her email quickly and responds accordingly. Otherwise, the fastest way to gain a response may be a telephone call.
The communication could be misunderstood or misinterpreted. A lot of people think that “writing” is the best way to avoid miscommunication. But, it does not apply to non-verbal feedback. The only way to receive that is through face-to-face contact. Through the face-to-face communication, we can receive an effective feedback immediately.
Email time management is also very important. Although email offers numerous advantages, there is a disadvantage of email that directly affects our business ; email may take over our work and personal life. Email can overwhelm anyone - both of the amount of information and the amount of time available.
Accordingly, to establish a time management plan for reading our email is crucial. For example, some people check their email first thing in the morning. Hoewver, some of them may realize that they waste their most productive time of the day. If so, to wait until mid-afternoon may be a good alternative. The least productive part of our day would be an ideal time to review our email.
All in all, we all have been overwhelmed with information, which leads to high level of stress. We should control the information, not let it control us. Especially, we should not be a slave to our email.