Notes from Table V
Solutions – Filtering/Editing in Electronic Communication
Determining rules of thumb or hard and fast rules: “Emails should be as simple as possible but no simpler”
Rules (of thumb) for email communication:
– Pay attention to cc and bcc lines; be careful of “reply all”
– Write like Hemingway (as simple and straight forward as possible)
– Email may not be the best medium; consider the context (maybe a call would be better)
– Be conscious of tone
– Never write anything you would not want to be forwarded to your boss
When to be short and when to be more expansive?
The higher up the food chain you are, the longer the emails you receive and the shorter the emails you send… If communication is very nuanced, email may not be the best medium.
Sometimes we ascribe characteristics to email that email is not (inherently) deserving of:
e.g., The ability to be persuasive, or to convey tone
Critical questions:
What is it that we want our rules to achieve?
How do we restrict some (unnecessary) communication yet permit others (necessary and relevant)?
The formal way of establishing expected norms are rules for communication (e.g., etiquette; like having tea with the Queen of England). Can this be sustained within and across institutions, generations, and cultures?
Theory/principles of the rules:
– Rules are good
– They should be consciously discussed and implicated
– We must understand that not everyone will know the rules
– We can’t let the rules trump the substance of the communication
– Rules need to be generalizeable, but we must realize that some are specific to particular types of communication
– The rules need to be allowed to evolve and change over time (along with technology)
– The rules need to be designed to make our jobs easier
– Everyone is responsible for both adhering to the rules and enforcing them by calling attention to the rules when they’re broken (self-responsibility and responsibility to the collective)
Can the rules be taught explicitly? Probably not the best way to teach… A better way might be modeling and allowing others to learn through assuming responsibility.
Filtering vs. editing
Commonalities: ways of weeding through the massive amount of emails (communications) to find the relevant material
Definitions:
Filtering –usually technology-based and mechanical, done though email rules, blocking certain senders
Editing – piece-by-piece, more thoughtful/purposeful process of winnowing down the relevant material
Production – what we do with emails/messages after the filtering and editing process
Sometimes we outsource editing functions by trusting other media sources to do the job for us. This can be not only problematic but undermines our power of decision.
Selection:
To whom do we respond to and when? How do we decide whom not to invite in? (e.g., linked in, myspace, etc.). How does this work in flat organizational structures vs. within hierarchies?
We need a set of rules, language, and etiquette to (dis)invite people to groups. Students need to experience this early on in their careers to develop thicker skin in order to deal with rejection later on in their careers.
It’s OK to say no.
Ramifications of Not Following the Rules:
– Loss of information and miscommunication
– Weeding out important information
– Having to deal with unnecessary information
– Associational limitation
– Potential of offending others, including people with greater power
– Excluding others, becoming excluded
What would a classroom/workplace look like if we implemented the rules?
– Increased productivity
– Greater workplace satisfaction
– Students would be better prepared to enter the workplace