If you read this blog, you know I’ve some post on effective e-mail communication.

I’ve a new one to add: it’s a suggestion to read this post in the Career Intensity Blog by Dave Lorenzo.

There is an interesting sort of ’survey’ about excuses on why people are so bad in answering / managing emails. Here are just the bullets (read the post for further info):

• If it is important, another email will be sent
• I have too many emails
• I only read or respond to emails from my team and manager/boss
• If someone else does not respond to my emails, why should I respond to their emails?
• My mailbox is full
• I have too much ‘real’ work to do

David makes also some recommendations: on many I agree completely (es. procrastinating a response to an email typically means never responding to that email).

And there is one I don’t agree: checking emails during meetings, if possible, helps a lot too. I see that sometimes meetings have ’holes’ that you could exploited in some way but it’s almost never appropriate, I learnt it the hard way, to have a PC (or a BlackBerry) in front of view and check emails or do something else.

PierG