I recently received a rather rude e-mail. It made me wonder what makes certain supposedly professional business people turn into contemptuous, mean-spirited bullies when they get on their e-mail account?Part of the problem may stem from the ease of writing and sending an e-mail. It’s simple to react quickly, especially when emotions or a challenging or complicated situation come into play. If you’ve ever been scatter-bombed with hostile, demeaning, or demanding e-mails from a boss, a client, or a business associate, you know what it’s like, but what you probably don’t know is how to respond.
Here are some ways to handle rude, accusatory and mean-spirited e-mail:
• Report threats or vulgar language to the ISP. These violate the Terms of Service of ISPs. Send the e-mail to abuse@ the ISP.
• If you receive a rude, over-the-top e-mail or one that makes personal attacks on you, wait before responding. Wait until the next day or two. Think hard about whether you really need to respond.
• If the e-mailer is misinformed, you can try to correct the misinformation. Don’t reply in kind. Do your best to take the high road and be courteous.
• Reach for the phone. In many cases, the best option may simply be a phone call. This is especially true when dealing with clients or colleagues, since it will probably eliminate misinterpretations and help you get to the heart of any issue.
And finally, when writing your own e-mails a good common sense rule to follow is the Golden Rule: treat others as you would like to be treated.
