Tom’s Tech Tip: More Email Etiquette for Certified Legal Nurse Consultants

Contrary to popular belief, the purpose of email is not to generate more email. The purpose of email is to communicate and transfer information – not to communicate what you’re doing and how hard you’re working at it.

All too many people, including one or two CLNC^® consultants, use email as a way to let other people know how busy they are on a project. It’s kind of like standing up and shouting “Look how hard I’m working and thinking” and getting immediate feedback saying “Yes you are!”

When you’re working on a project, whether it’s with a group or alone, it’s better to email the fact that you’ve completed the project or that you have a question about it, not that you’re working on it. Likewise, endlessly and fecklessly responding to every email that drops out of cyberspace and into your inbox wastes everyone’s time – including your own. Vickie jokes that there’s no prize for being the fastest email responder. There’s also no prize for being the most prolific responder. It’s almost as bad as being a serial texter.

So the next time you get an email, think twice before you respond, and the next time you start typing out an email update, ask yourself whether it’s really necessary. Think before you click.

Keep on Techin’,