December 1998 DICTA

Law Office Communication - Using E-Mail Effectively

	Original Publication: DICTA (Publication of the KBA)
	Author: Dave Kristy - Butler, Vines and Babb
	Date Published: December 1998

Today, there are more ways to communicate than ever. The proliferation of fax machines, mobile telephones, pagers, voice mail, and e-mail, have given us the ability to reach anyone, anywhere, at virtually any time. Ironically, when used improperly, these tools can sometimes create a breakdown in communication. In particular, the effective use of voice mail and e-mail in the law office can greatly enhance our ability to communicate, but we must be careful to use these tools properly. Last month, we discussed the proper use of a voice messaging system. In this second part of the two-part series, we will examine some of the "do's" and "don'ts" when it comes to the use of electronic mail.
E-Mail

A useful communication tool that has really come of age over the last couple of years is electronic mail, or e-mail. Both internal (office) and external (online) e-mail can be very powerful communication tools.

At the very least, an e-mail program allows users to:

	Send text messages.
	Attach data files, such as word processed files, charts, graphics, even audio or video.
	Send messages to multiple recipients simultaneously.
	Forward messages and attachments easily to others.
	Reply to a message very easily.

Without a doubt, e-mail is the most popular online tool. Virtually everyone who is online uses e-mail extensively. E-mail is universal, very easy to use, extremely fast, inexpensive, and very convenient. Like voice mail, it is non-intrusive and allows for some thought to go into a message being delivered. But even better than voice mail, it allows for attachment of data files to messages.

It is also fraught with some hazards, however. E-mail is subject to misunderstanding; it can be a permanent record of thoughts communicated in anger or extreme emotion. E-mail users online are subjected to "spam", another word for "junk mail", from a myriad of sources, sometimes worse than traditional mail. Sometimes e-mail ignites much more direct and emotional responses from readers since there is no direct person-to-person contact. Finally, one of the biggest disadvantages is the sender=s difficulty in expressing tone and body language; voice mail at least allows the expression of tone of voice, while e-mail allows neither.

Again, there are some ground rules to consider when using e-mail, whether for simple internal office communication or communicating around the world online. Following are some Do's and Don'ts:

Do:

	Choose your words carefully. You have time to compose your message for delivery at a later time. You don't have the freedom to express yourself with body language or tone of voice.
	Read your e-mail before sending, especially if it involves a sensitive matter or is written in anger. E-mail is a permanent record - it can be saved or forwarded to anyone.
	Maintain a professional tone. While e-mail is expected to be much less formal than a letter sent by regular mail, be careful to avoid being too informal.
	Utilize advanced features by attaching important files. This is one of the more powerful features of e-mail, sometimes negating the need for use of a fax machine.
	Use secure encryption of e-mail for particularly sensitive matters. While e-mail is as secure as a telephone conversation, certain matters deemed extremely confidential can be encrypted and read only by the intended recipient.

Don't:

	Don't use ALL CAPS unless you intend to be interpreted as screaming. The same rule applies to excessive use of exclamation points!!!
	Don't send an e-mail to anyone while in a highly emotional state. Take the time to formulate a response to a sensitive matter.
	Don't use e-mail to excess. The immediacy and ease of using e-mail sometimes encourages users to go overboard. Occasionally, in an attempt to keep colleagues informed, people start copying or forwarding everything they write or receive to everyone they know. This clogs up users' mailboxes and is generally a waste of time and resources.
	Don't allow e-mail to add stress to the workday. E-mail communications seem to add an element of urgency that other communication forms do not. The workday can be extended, and the network of people with whom one communicates regularly can be expanded. Keep this in perspective.

Conclusion

There can be no argument that the best communication always takes place face-to-face. All senses can be used in expressing ideas and emotions. Body language and tone of voice give a great deal of information to the recipient. Unfortunately, a surprisingly large amount of the time, face-to-face communication is not possible or practical. E-Mail is an extremely powerful tool that can provide users with an ability to communicate over very long distances, at very low cost in rapid fashion.

With all of the technology available today, from mobile telephones and fax machines to pagers, voice mail and e-mail, it is easier than ever before to eliminate much of that waste and to enhance our ability to communicate. Unfortunately, like any tool, this technology must be used properly to be effective, since we lose some or much of the ability to express tone of voice or body language, or both, and we run the risk of spending more time to use these tools than we should. Paying attention to how we use this technology will go long way toward eliminating that disadvantage and effectively enhancing our ability to communicate with our clients and among ourselves in the practice of law.

The Web Master

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