We live in an era of instant communications (Email, Text Messaging, Facebook and Twitter). It brings great advantages to how we live, work, learn and communicate, and yet, it can bring great peril as well – as once a message leaves, no “unsend” or delete really, really works! Here’s advise on how to use email more effectively with your colleagues, your boss, and even your professors!
Introduction – The World of OMG/LOL/{:-)/{:-C
Ok, this article is not provoked by any incident that particular incident that has happened to me with emails from – or to - students. However, over the past few years, as I have taught more and more online (and involved online with really everything I do, even in the traditional classroom setting), I have begun to use email - and now Facebook - as a primary communication medium with my students. In fact, I'm finding that low and behold, the "1950's model" of students waiting by a professor's office - or even calling to talk about an issue (like I did when I walked uphill through the snow in East Texas to college) - just doesn't happen anymore. In fact, I'd say that now, 90-95% of my interactions with students out of the classroom - whether with students on-line or in a "real" classroom with like desks and chairs (yeah, we still see those) - are via email.
So first, it's important that you see how many emails we see from students. Yes, I've been at the higher ed game for over twenty years, and I could write a book about the excuses I first heard, and now, which are being sent via email.
The Student Email Hall of Shame – WTF
But better to rely on the "wisdom of crowds," as the Chronicle of Higher Education has now compiled over 850 pages (as of late July 2010, and it keeps growing) of responses from professors with their favorite crazy student emails! For fun reading, see it here:
Chronicle Forums (In the Classroom: "favorite" student e-mails)
It includes such gems as those below:
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This one shows a BAD way to start:
"Yo [my last name]--what up with ". . .
This one is from the THIRD WEEK of an anonymous professor’s class:
"hi, this is ___and I'm in your ___ class but have been golfing in [sunny vacation destination] for the past couple weeks so i have missed the first few classes. just wondering if there is anything important that i have missed ... please let me know what i should do.”
This one seems to put you in a higher income bracket than the professor:
“I definitely read my schedule wrong and didn’t realize I had [your class] tomorrow morning. I had already signed up to go sailing tomorrow with a few friends. It’s the last chance of the season and I really don’t want to cancel on them. Is there any chance I can talk with you sometime tomorrow about what I will miss?”
This shows a lack of following the breadcrumb trail constructed for you to make it through the class:
“I have a question about the [assignment that is due on Friday, for which weekly reminders have been given and instructions available since the beginning of the semester]. What exactly what are we supposed to be doing??? Please let me know as soon as possible.”
This is not the way to improve your attendance and participation grade:
"I know I missed half of the classes, but receiving half the points seems a little dramatic."
Finally, this is simply inappropriate:
“Hey Sweet jeans, Can you schedule a review session this weekend? Please write me back before 5 pm because after that I only use the internet for porn. Thanks.”
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While I personally find most students to be professional in their emails, the other 10-20% are – shall we say at best – unprofessional and not well thought out (yes, there is a “draft” mode and a need to read and reread what you send BEFORE you send it). Above and beyond requests, begging and pleading, misspelled words, emails beginning - "HEY!..." All too often, that's what we see, and bad email practices can not only work against you in college (or in high school for that matter), but even more importantly, in the "real world" of work! For instance, watch the clip below that compiles email gaffes recounted by a collection of professors:
12 Pieces of Email Advice to Watch and Take Away into Your College Career and Your Bigger Career Ahead
So, what should you do to lessen the chance that you will end-up not just perhaps ruining your chances in the class (and later in your job search and even on your job) – and having your email end-up in a "hall of shame" – like the Chronicle of Higher Education has run for almost four years to date with thousands and thousands of entries. Here's a collection of a dozen videos to watch with some great email and overall netiquette advice (and yes, there are some laughs too, just don’t let these things happen to you!).
1. Email Advice for College Students in Particular From Dr. Brett McMillan at McDaniel College:
2. Howcasts on Both “How To Practice Good Phone and E-mail Etiquette At Work”
And "How to Follow Proper Netiquette Rules":
3. From Trainer and Author Tim Sanders:
4. From Will Schwalbe and David Shipley (authors of Think Before You Send):
5. From Seven Keys to Effective Email:
6. Ask the Techies (for free!!)":
7. From the Daily Idea:
8. From Corporate Comedian Greg Schwem:
9. From the Today Show:
10. And of course, from John Tesh:
11. And, of course, TheResident.Net, with the appropriate title "You Suck at Email":
12. Finally, Ricky Gervais and the original UK cast of “The Office”:
BIOGRAPHY
