What Not To Say: E-mail Edition

I continue to be amazed by the e-mail horror stories I hear as I intersect with companies around the world. As they say, “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.” The problem isn’t e-mail. The problem is we often aren’t sufficiently thinking before hitting “Send.”

Though this list of “10 Things You Should Never Write in an E-Mail or Instant Messsage” may seem obvious, it’s a good reminder to think before you send.

Do you have an e-mail story worthy of a Darwin Award? I invite you to share your story in the Comments.

Also, I invite you to get a copy of our e-book entitled How to Organize Your Inbox & Get Rid of E-Mail Clutter. You’ll get helpful insights to tame the e-mail monster for less than $10 USD.

Published by Andy Kaufman

Andy Kaufman, PMP is an international speaker, author, and executive coach, and President of the Institute for Leadership Excellence & Development Inc. Andy works with organizations around the world, helping them improve their ability to deliver projects and lead teams. Andy’s keynotes, workshops, and executive coaching services have reached tens of thousands of people from hundreds of companies over the years, helping them deliver their projects, become more confident leaders, take focused action, and deliver results. He brings a rich background of over 25 years of experience in executive management, technology, team leadership, project management, consulting, and coaching. Andy is a certified trainer and author of Navigating the Winds of Change: Staying on Course in Business & in Life, Shining the Light on The Secret, and an e-book entitled How to Organize Your Inbox & Get Rid of E-Mail Clutter, all published by Zurich Press. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP®) and a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI®). Andy is the publisher of the Horizon Time newsletter which is read by professionals around the world. He is also the host of The People and Projects Podcast which provides interviews and insights to help listeners lead people and deliver projects. The podcast focuses on the intersection of People and Projects--where work gets done in the real world. Andy is a recognized expert on topics related to leadership, project management, managing conflict, networking, relationships, time management, teambuilding, and delivering results. Learn more at the Institute’s website at http://www.i-leadonline.com.

communication, e-mail

2 thoughts on “What Not To Say: E-mail Edition”

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  1. I once sent an e-mail to a guy, complaining about another group. It was only sent to him. However he thought it would be a good idea to share with the other group to show them how they were perceived. Needless to say they were not happy. After getting called into my boss’ office I learned the important lesson to assume that if it is in writing it can and will be read by others.

  2. A guy in our IT department forwarded an e-mail that had a video with a singing Santa linked in it. After the e-mail was passed along by many, many people, an high priority e-mail came from HR, telling everyone to immediately delete the e-mail.

    As it turns out, the IT guy hadn’t watched the entire video. By the second verse Santa got extremely foul, sounding more like the former governor of Illinois than Saint Nick.

    Lesson: be very careful what you forward.

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