Talk to me

email is a useful tool.

As we all know, however, it can be a tough taskmaster. The way in which people use email means that we often get messages we don't really need to get. (People copy us in simply because they can!)

If you get back from a vacation and have lots of emails waiting, try putting them in a folder and just leaving them ... until you get a reminder (which you will if its important). It will tell you how many of your emails are 'essential'.

However, the other downside of email is that it stops people talking. email is clearly an asynchronous medium. You email me. I reply. You reply. And so on till we get fed up ... or resolve the issue. It can take days to complete what could be done in minutes on the phone.

So perhaps you should start a 'use the phone' or a 'talk more' campaign.