Next Time: Please Offer More Updates, Distract me Less!
When is an email, not an email? When someone called a meeting…
Business authors from all ages have used some variant of the phrase “Never have a meeting, to discuss what should have been an email!” There are numerous ways that people from all walks of life will tell you why meetings are ruinous wastes of time. But that isn’t always the case. What kind of meeting do you have, that can’t be replaced with an email?
Email content is great for what needs to be addressed, but not discussed. If you want to communicate a set of known instructions, send an email. If you want to communicate, email is a significantly less efficient communication method. The number one communication problem with email, is that people have to assume your tone and intent. Here are some two quick insights shared from the Psychology Today article – “Don’t Type at Me Like That: Emails and Emotions.“
- “Just because you write in a certain way doesn’t mean it’s received the same way.“
- “When we read an email, we attempt to read intention and tone into the words. “
After all this whole article is about communication, so lets get down to it.
In person communication is more effective than email. It gives us queues, and connections that we cannot get with mere words on digital paper. Don’t just meet because you can, meet when it’s important to connect and unify. I didn’t just pick a random picture of camels for the featured image of this article after all; the camels are all heading in the same direction, together as a team. Here are some key purpose-driven meetings.
Learning opportunities
Solution-brainstorms
Hard team decisions
People matter, and when we need to learn from each other, nothing connects people like being in each others presence. This includes remote connections like Zoom, or GoToMeeting. With a visual connection we can read each others non-verbal queues and body language. This is a key actuator toward building authentic connections of trust.
The three examples i gave above, are personal to me. Your team is your greatest tool; always. Nothing ever happens in a vacuum, and learning together, finding answers to questions, and making tough decisions that affect the team, are all things that (1) should be done together, and (2) will rarely be as successful if you make the decision alone, and then send it out in an email.
Communication is important… Actually it’s so important that you find I used the word 8 times in this article. It isn’t that you can’t get the job done with email. It is simply that meetings that unify and connect people always end up with better connections through verbal and visual communication.
- Doc