Communication is at the heart of everything we do. Technology has advanced the art of human contact so much that major problems are surfacing. E-mail is now the default medium for most business communication and, as a result, inboxes are overflowing.

Research shows that the average American professional spends at least 40 percent of a working day dealing with e-mail. Buried in all of those emails is the key point: E-mail can be an effective communication and partnership tool but unless organizations structure their communication culture, the potential benefits are lost.

E-mail is quite effective when straight-up information is conveyed; i.e. repair work will be done between 3 and 5 p.m. today in the break room; a reminder to bring important project files to the meeting Friday; or the company has just landed a big contract.

However, many people are now relying on e-mails where human voice communication would be more effective - especially when the person being e-mailed is in the next cubicle. E-mail is ideal as a follow-up to a meeting to send attendees a report that reviews projects, responsibilities and deadlines. But, keep in mind, the message should be short and to the point.

With e-mail, there are no inflections or tones to your voice. Sarcasm, satire and jokes are not effectively communicated in any print form, especially in the lightning fast e-mail medium. Research by the University of Chicago found that most people overrated their ability to communicate the intended tone in e-mail. There is no intensity of urgency or emotion in words written on a computer screen.

An effective e-mail message will contain thorough identification on the subject line. Rather than a brief subject line: “Project”, be more specific: “ABC Project Assignments”. Also, send e-mail messages only to those people receiving assignments. Information is often sent “cc’d” to people who attended the planning meeting but are not receiving assignments. Also, indicate in the message if a reply is not needed. This is one-step toward reducing the number of e-mails you receive. Use the old KISS formula: Keep It Short and Simple with bullets or subheads to separate information in a condensed, categorized format.

Many companies, even those with relatively small numbers of employees, are now experiencing corporate culture where everyone becomes isolated from each other. Some companies have even gone to a “no e-mail” day to encourage more interaction between employees and their clients. E-mail and IMs are great communication tools in this fast-paced world. But, too much is not necessarily a good thing.

Instant Messaging (IM) is gaining popularity in many businesses but it has not been universally implemented. With IM, short simple pieces of information can be exchanged without the long details that emails often produce. If the exchange of IMs grows, switch to the telephone. And, forget the abbreviation vocabulary that IM has created: C U L8R.

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