No matter what you write, be accurate and be sensible
Writing is communication that lasts. Apart from writing well (i.e., your thoughts are organized and presented with proper sentence structure), make sure that what you say is accurate and sensible.
This is obviously true for the documents we think of as “permanent” and we are used to taking care with papers, manuals, and reports.
The real problem is communications that we think of as ephemeral; these days, that mostly means electronic communications. The problem is that no electronic communication is truly ephemeral. It is all—or could be—stored somewhere. Electronic communication is also very easily shared with others, and so is particularly vulnerable to being taken out of context.
Making sure that e-mail flame doesn’t burn you
Even if you are only using e-mail for personal communication right now, my advice is to be careful. Avoid flaming someone in e-mail. If you cannot suppress altogether the urge to give someone a piece of your mind, at least let a couple hours pass between drafting your e-mail and hitting the send key. Reread it and make sure it’s not too harsh after you’ve calmed down a bit.
The more important the topic, or the more valuable your relationship with the person on the receiving end, the longer you should consider your flame before sending it.
Even better, pick up the phone or walk down to the person’s office and do it in a way that lets you react to nuance and emotion. It may be that there is more to this story than you think (there usually is, by the way).
Are you representing yourself, or your organization?
For communications where you are representing your organization, avoid nastiness in e-mail altogether. No matter what the situation, you do not want a written record of what you said in the heat of the moment. You will undoubtedly have to give unpleasant news to the people or companies you work with, and some of this news will be delivered most expediently by e-mail.
These e-mails should be reasoned, rational, and stick to the facts. Acting in anger is never wise. Acting in anger and providing a permanent written record of exactly what you said is an open door to more trouble down the road.
The billboard rule
When considering whether and what to send in e-mail, I use the billboard rule: would I mind having this message posted on the billboard in the coffee room? If so, I use the phone or walk down the hall to visit in person. Bad news is always more appropriately delivered in person.
