If you and your teammates are experiencing communication problems, I have one question for you. How much of your communication is happening via email?

When the problems are many, the percentage is usually high. This is because email is missing some key information that helps us understand the message, namely body language and vocal qualities.

In research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, a study found that email recipients only correctly interpreted an email’s tone 50% of the time. The study also found that people believed they got it right 90% of the time. You can image the problems this can lead to on a team that communicates primarily through email.

Most teams would benefit from using less email and having more telephone and face-to-face conversations. But let’s face it. Email is great because I can fire off a message whenever it’s convenient for me and not have to be present if there’s an unpleasant reaction.

If you are going to use it, then I recommend the following tips. My guess is that everyone has at least a couple of these they could improve upon.

• Get their attention with an appropriate (honest and interesting) subject line. Don’t trick them by overdoing it.
• Keep it short and to the point. People are busy and won’t read your email if it looks too long.
• Pay attention to spelling, grammar and punctuation. Make it easy to read, unless you want to send the message that you are either uneducated or don’t care.
• Make it personal, using proper salutations and sign-offs.
• Use the right level of formality. This is dependent upon the relationship you have with the intended recipient. Choose the wrong level, and you risk offending.
• Send it only to the person or people who need to receive it.
• Assume your email will be forwarded, especially to people you don’t want to see it.
• Don’t try to convey humor, sarcasm, or other complex ideas. It just doesn’t come through very well.

Effective communication is critical to a team’s success. Make email effectiveness one key part of your overall team development strategy.

They seem to work best when the information is simple, short, and does not have or will not likely create an emotional charge.  The problem is that people use these communication channels for messages that don’t meet any of the above criteria.

It’s an especially popular way of delivering bad news or a critical message to someone.  While it may be popular, it’s not effective when used in this manner.

The popularity stems from the misguided notion that sending my message in this way will protect me if there is an overly emotional negative response.  While it’s true that you may not be there to personally witness the response, it still manages to find you.

The message you sent is interpreted as an attack.  It’s as if you sent a bomb through the internet.  And what’s the recipient do?  They reciprocate with a bomb of their own, and this time they add a few more names to the CC list.

If you are interested in preventing this kind of unproductive email correspondence, ask a few questions before hitting the “Send” key.

• Would I be willing to say to the person’s face what I’m writing?
• Have I made any assumptions about what the person really meant in her email?
• How am I feeling right now, and how is my emotional state affecting what I write?
• Who have I copied and why?
• How is the recipient likely to react to my email?
• Is email the best way of sending my message, or would the telephone or an in-person visit better serve the situation?
• What have I written that could be misinterpreted?

Email is a great tool when used properly. The trick is knowing when and when not to use it.