The way you email might be turning your coworkers against you

The way you email might be turning your coworkers against youThe way you email might be turning your coworkers against youLets get one thing out of the way first Email is a terrible means of communication. Slack and its ilk included, theres still no good digital duplicate to the basic social niceties that grease most of our interactions and make sure we all get along well enough. No amount or combination of exclamation points or emojis can replace a warm smile or a pleasant tone of voice.So while it certainly makes sense topractice writing shorter,mora emotionally intelligent emails, theres a limit to what youll ever be able to accomplish between hitting new message and send. The real reason your emails are getting on your coworkers nerves has nothing to do with what, how, or when you write its all a matter of human psychology. Heres why and what to do about it.RelatedWhat Happened When I Replied Call Me To Every Email I Got For A WeekBack to basicsInevitably and often without even realizing it your colleagues have to fill in a lot of details when they read any email from you. Theyre making guesses about your intent and tone Did you mean that particular statement seriously or ironically? Does that sarcasm reflect frustration or lighthearted humor?And that request youre making do you realize the burden it places on others? To answer many of these implicit questions, a sender will fill in the gaps with what they know (or dont know) about you personally.Which means that if your email bothers its recipient, theres a good chance it isnt the email itself thats the problem, butyou. An identical email coming from someone else might be received and interpreted much differently.The solution is simple As soon as interpersonal guesswork gets in the way of your message, its time to inject some interpersonal substance in its place. Engage with your colleagues directly (i.e.notdigitally) when you get the sense theyre feeling annoyed by your emails (or to prevent that from happening in the first place). Pick up the phone when theres something you need or when you have to respond to a series of queries rather than just get one simple thing squared away. Set up a quick chat in person to give feedback on a report. Offer to bestattungs a cup of coffee to go over it together.RelatedSix Ways To Write Emails That Dont Make People Silently Resent YouWhat you gain by avoiding email (as much as possible)You might object that you dont have time for all this real-time contact. Butwhat email was designed to do in the first placeis to make it easier for busy people to communicate. But even mostshortconversations actually take longer over email. You have to switch over to your inbox, skim the prior message to remember where you left off, and repeat this process several times each as the thread continues.With real conversation, you can often reach the same outcome in about the time it would take you just to read and respond to a single email in the chain. (Thats exa ctly what fellowFast Companycontributor Allen Gannett foundwhen he tried replying call meto all the emails he received for a week straight.) On top of that, when you actually talk to someone, you have a chance to gauge their reaction to what youre saying in real time. You can convey your warmth and respect for your coworkers much more easily in person than in written textwhether its email, Slack, Google Hangouts, or what have you.RelatedA Short Guide To Work Phone Calls For People Who Grew Up TextingThere are other reasons why analog interactions are usually better than dashing off replies like, Thanks so much Youre the best Carlos For one thing, when you talk to Carlos in person, his facial expression and tone of voice can give you a sense of whether he sees your request as asking too much, and this way youll know how and whether to acknowledge the magnitude of the favor.Second, its easier to express appreciation in person. Saying thanks in the same email as your request makes it sound like your gratitude is really just another part of the ask. And if you hold off to say thanks in a follow-up email solely for that purpose, then, as short as it is, youre wasting their time.So dont just save complicated stuff for phone calls and in-person meetings. Try handling a few of your smaller requests in person as well. Youll build better, stronger relationships at work in the process. And by sending fewer emails altogether, youll be less likely to annoy the people receiving them.This article originally appeared on Fast Company