Laboratorians, especially in management positions, rely heavily on email for their daily communication. Email can be especially difficult and can result in miscommunication because non-verbal cues such as body language, eye contact, facial expressions, and tone of voice are lost. Depending upon how the email is written and if the recipient is unfamiliar with the style of the person sending the email, intent may be very difficult to interpret from email alone. Email should not replace conversation. Both telephone and face-to-face should be used in cases in which intent, dialogue, and understanding are important.
How people perceive the intent of an email will vary so it is important to be as clear as possible and try to imply your intent with the style of your email including the words you use, the use of exclamation marks, bold, uppercase, underlined, and even simple emojis. When in doubt, have a trusted coworker read the email and provide feedback. And as a rule of thumb, never answer an email when angry. Allow time for yourself to move from your emotional mind to your rational mind and your wise mind.
Let's look at an example of an email written in slightly different styles. See if your perception of the intent of the email changes.
