Bring back Speak-Mails

Colleagues of mine occasionally get a visit by me to their desk. I look at them and pause meaningfully, once I have their attention.

"I'm delivering a Speak-Mail" *?* "I could have sent you an email but thought I'd use an old fashioned thing called talking" Once the look of puzzlement has gone, we talk.

I don't know about you, but I'm getting fed up with the misuse of emails. I've been using emails since 1990 and three things bug me most. 1) getting Cc'd on stuff, just for the sender to cover their back, or worse to make it look like they are busy. 2) messages sent to colleagues WITHIN TALKING DISTANCE and 3) Using emails to convey a criticism, instead of voicing feelings directly.

My experience, as a people manager, is that one should use written communications primarily for factual information exchange. Use verbal language for expressing opinions and for debate.

Storms in tea cups have their epicentres in two-dimensional messages.