Think before you hit 'Send'

  • Published
  • By Col. Charles Brown Jr.
  • USAF Weapons School commandant
NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. (AFPN) --  During my twenty-plus years of service, I have watched how we communicate and its impact on our ability to operate effectively as organizations and leaders. 

With the access to so many communication tools -- e-mail, cell phones and Blackberrys -- I wonder how effective and ineffective we've become at the same time. 

During my first Nellis tour as a captain, my organization had one computer for the entire office and no one had e-mail or a cell phone. Now, I personally have two computers, a cell phone, a Blackberry and three separate e-mail accounts. With all this technology, one might think my ability to effectively communicate and lead has increased tenfold. I'd argue that it hasn't. 

Back when we didn't have all of this technology, we actually had to talk to people. We used to stand around and talk, because no one was in his or her cubicle sending and reading e-mails. We either picked up the phone or got up from behind our desk to communicate. We had personal interaction and saw facial expressions and body language to judge how our communication was being received. 

Don't get me wrong, I think all of the communication technology is great and does improve our effectiveness. However, I also see these tools as necessary evils that detract from the effectiveness of organizations and leaders. 

The communication tool that has contributed the most to the effectiveness and ineffectiveness is e-mail. The one thing I appreciate about e-mail is how it allows organizations and leaders to communicate more quickly and to a broader audience. I can send one e-mail and get the word out to everyone quickly. However, I think e-mail is less effective when working an issue with a small group. 

We often send, wait for the response, then respond to the response, then someone responds having not read the other responses, then we thank each other for the responses, and so on. Sometimes it takes days to resolve something a simple phone call might have accomplished in half the time it took to draft and read each e-mail. Even worse, we create a firestorm due to either the misinterpretation or impersonal nature of an e-mail. I know from experience that people will write something in an e-mail that they would never say in person or over the phone. I know because I've called them after I've read the e-mail and their tone is completely different. 

I think George Bernard Shaw's quote puts e-mail in perspective, "The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." Just because an e-mail is sent, communication hasn't necessarily taken place. 

Communication doesn't occur if the e-mail is not read or if it is misinterpreted. Many times, I've had success resolving issues and saving time by having a dialogue by either picking up the phone or moving from behind my desk to talk face-to-face. The verbal exchange and the immediate feedback not only allow me to adjust my message, but also to hear what the other party thinks. It is my belief that this type of communication is more effective solving challenging issues than the "send, wait, respond" syndrome prevalent today. 

I'm not saying that we should become old school and never e-mail. However, there are times when e-mail is less effective than an old-fashioned conversation. As leaders and Airmen, we need to determine when e-mail is not just a communication tool, but an effective or ineffective communication tool. 

Bottom line, before you draft and hit send, think about how much time you might save and how much better you might communicate by picking up the phone or moving from behind your desk. 

Compared to e-mail in certain situations, the feedback received, personal relationships developed and trust you build through conversation can make you more effective as an organization and leader. Think before you hit send.