Role of Email

Like it or not, email continues to have a role in our lives.

For many, email is the preferred way to communicated with colleagues and friends.  For others, email is passé and they have moved on to various social media platforms.  Whichever side of the fence you are on; there is still a place for email.  In business, we continue to use it as a significant tool for communication.  That being said, I would argue that far too many of us are bogged down with the volume of email that we receive.  Add social media to the mix and we become overwhelmed.

With this in mind, I challenge everyone using email, including myself, to stop and think before we choose the “reply all” option.  Ask yourself this question to determine if “reply all” is really necessary.  Is my response essential or critical to all those on the list?   All too often, one person hits reply all and as a result, everyone feels compelled to do the same, thus adding more and more email to our In Boxes.

Also, I would challenge people to think about whether you were sent the message or if you were cc’ed. If you were cc’ed, this means you were sent the email for information purposes.  Unless there is something critical or essential, again, do you need to reply all?

Just something to think about!