The Highlight Zone

What's the deal with email?


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Eight simple rules for workplace emails.

* Never email angry. Respond, don’t react. 

* Save your dunks for the basketball court. “Sarcasm never translates.”

* Avoid emailing important stuff on your phone. “Sent from my iphone” means “Your communication is not valuable to me.”  

* Set aside dedicated blocks of time to attend to email. 

* When email is not the medium for the message.

* Resist the urge to “kitchen sink” it. One topic or question per email, please.

* Emojis in professional workplace communication. Smiley face or frowny face?

* Take time to avoid email for work/life balance. 

Further Reading: 

* Lindsay Ellis, “Higher Ed’s ‘Productivity Poison’” (Chronicle of Higher Education, Dec. 20, 2021)

* Cal Newport, “Is Email Making Professors Stupid?” (Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb. 12, 2019)

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The Highlight ZoneBy Paul Cook