As of 2010, we have many wonderful ways of communication with one and other. Cell phones, smart phones, iPhones, portable, hands free, wireless, the options seem endless. The one "older" method within all these hardware miracles is e-mail.

E-mail. Hmmm. E-mail is great. E-mail allows us to read messages at our own pace, think before we respond, and archive conversations and attachments. I personally use my e-mail as a way of documenting timelines, requests, and responses. For that, I love it.

E-mail is also a gigantic pain. Spam. Nothing but junk and headaches trying to deal with it all. Filters are great but sometimes filter out the wrong stuff, and when someone doesn't get an e-mail without otherwise knowing about it- someone ends up looking foolish- and clients hate that. So do I. I hate it because there is this expectation of anyone in a technology related field to know EVERYTHING about all of the technology. Well, that is not the case. So, being a designer/creative director that works in both desktop publishing and digital online, website related design- I do learn as much technology as possible to stay on top. E-mail however, continues to cause trouble (and I didn't do it!). 

Spammers need a special prison. Oh baby, there needs to be some new "techniques" invented for rehabilitating these tricksters. First, I'd like to know who is PAYING these guys for their "services". Do those people understand what they are supporting? Secondly, WHO are the folks actually responding to any of this crap? There has to be some payoff for somebody somewhere... 

Anyway, I really started this article to say this: sending e-mail and expecting the subject line to be the question or statement being sent, and leaving the body empty- is an empty e-mail and the recipient will be wondering what was actually being sent. Don't try and skip ahead and assume the recipient is simply scanning subject lines. For someone that values those messages, they will read every single one. I've gotten phone calls from clients claiming I did not respond to their e-mail. For some, they actually ignored my response that, "there was no message" in their e-mail. Those are always sincere attempts to respond to their requests.

Part of the problem is that some courtesies have been lost. If you really need to speak with someone, and tell them something important, well then- do just that- don't send an e-mail where the subject line reads "call me" without anything else in the body of the e-mail and then expect that recipient to actually respond in any timely manner. We are all busy with our own interests in a world that bombards us with information. Send that e-mail with the clear, written explanation of what you need. Take five minutes and think. Typing is actually a very good way of getting your thoughts together. Seeing your own message in front of you is productive. You can also COPY and PASTE that thought into other documents such as a TO DO list or client project progress chart.

When I need to speak with someone, it depends on the person for my method of correspondence. Some I know are usually at their computer at certain times and they check their e-mails regularly, and I send them short, productive, e-mails. Others I may not be familiar with, so I write a very clear note about what I want, or I pick up the phone and call. Text messages are very fast but there usually needs to be a very good rapport with the other person to make it effective. Some employees of mine have gotten some very productive text messages when I was unable to contact them otherwise.

Communications skill #2. Not guessing where people are. Leave your message, send your e-mail and allow the person to respond. Answering machines are fantastic- you can leave a little or a lot. Just don't assume that the person is monitoring your call. I get messages like that. I happen to walk around sometimes, out to get the mail, take a break and get some air, get some lunch, or any number of normal activity. 

Many small business owners cover many bases in one day. If they answered every call as it came in, they would get very little done. That brings me to one more point of communications on a professional level. Don't tell people how they should run their business so it specifically accommodates your personal preferences. Besides being arrogant, it's really their business and most likely they are facing hurdles you can not comprehend. If you didn't need them, you wouldn't be calling. Try and remember that.

Communication skills include finishing a thought, or at least typing a few extra words. Is it that difficult to complete a thought in writing? Are you saving that much time by skipping a sentence that would clearly communicate your thought? The clearer you can be, the more productive and truly time saving. Proofread your e-mails as if you were the recipient, and yes, spelling always counts. The most clear communications are the most productive.

We need all the time we can save to delete all the #@!!&**# spam. ;-) 

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