Here's an interesting article, “It's All About Me: Why E-Mails Are So Easily Misunderstood” that we should probably share with our students. According to researchers, there are three major problems with using email:
Email does not give us cues such as tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language.
The ability to instantly reply to email leads people to think and write quickly without thinking through what they're saying and how it might be perceived.
If you have not developed a personal rapport with the other person, communicating by email can create problems when you disagree or have conflict.
"According to one study, e-mail users have only a 50-50 chance of correctly interpreting the intended tone of an e-mail." First impressions and stereotypes cause us to assign intent or assumptions that are not necessarily true.
How to avoid problems with email? "Read it aloud in the opposite way you intend, whether serious or sarcastic. If it makes sense either way, revise." And if you are discussing sensitive issues or having a conflict with the other person, communicate in person or by phone.
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