I constantly read articles on the industry, social media, client relationships, etc. Today there was a long article on the avoidance of sending angry emails. Isn’t that one of the first things you learn as a child? Never speak out of anger or when you’re angry. I mean really, how dumb are we that we need someone writing a blog to tell us not to send correspondence when we’re mad? I sometimes think that everyone has lost touch with reality in this virtual world we find ourselves in. In the era of internet, have we lost sight of the fact that we correspond with real people…maybe in too real of a time, but real people? Like in real life, once we open our mouth and say it out loud, it’s impossible to take back. Same with email…hit send and take a bullet. Only with email, it’s worse!  It’s a flat way to connect. Words when said without the human touch are in direct correlation to the mood of the receiver of said communication.

Clients, customers, vendors and such, at times can really make you burn! Who doesn’t want to tell somebody off when they’re in a bad mood? It can be extremely satisfying and a total release of emotion…for about a nano second…then in a cyberspace moment, you get the results of that release! It could be a response that has the ring of finality. Certainly something you want to avoid.

If it makes you feel better, write it in a word document and save it. And never do it in a draft email…NEVER! It could get mistakenly sent and you can’t un-ring that bell. The document will work, you can enjoy re-reading it, editing, adding…totally satisfying without the repercussions. It’s not near as “death-defying” or “adrenalin filled” as giving them the full onslaught of your two cents but definitely will have a better long term effect.

So, when you get really mad, hear the voice of your parent saying, “listen when I tell you something”, “I only tell you what is good for you”,  “Mommy knows best” or any of the axioms from your childhood will do. Here again, is a real example of “always listen to your parents” and zip it when you get ticked off…and whatever you do, don’t send an angry email!

By Alice J. Ross

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