3 Urgent Reasons to Email Less and Talk More

“I feel like all I do is answer emails all day.”

More than a feeling, most professionals just like you spend at least one-quarter of their day deep in the inbox sandpit. Email is the #1 form of professional communication with instant messaging and texting fighting for second place. While appearing seductively convenient, email is a secret productivity killer. There are urgent reasons to email less and talk more!

An average employee checks his or her email 36 times an hour.

1. Email is a Productivity Killer

In a fascinating study done by Researchers Gloria Mark and Stephen Voida from the University of California at Irvine and Armand Cardello: after establishing baseline performance data, 13 professionals participated in a 5 day work period without access to email. With no access to email, participants changed their habits. They began to communicate face-to-face and over the telephone more frequently. The researchers noticed a drastic reduction in stress levels and an increase in focus. These findings were supported by feedback from the participants who felt more productive and less ‘distracted’ during the work day. Miscommunications were reported by the participants to be drastically reduced as well as the time to complete tasks.

It could be said that over 65% of email received and sent by most professionals is not informative, relevant, or necessary.

2. Email Takes More Time

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Consider this: it may take you up to 20-30 minutes to craft, proof and send a professional email of medium length (between 175-250 words). How much time would it actually take to convey the same message over the phone (or in person) verses through email? By the time you calculate all the interruptions, proof-reading, waiting for a response and clarifying your point: email is a dead loser to in-person communication. During a small experiment it was determined that, on average, email takes almost 620% longer to accurately convey the same message than it does in person.

In other words: while an email will absorb over 46 minutes of your time: the same information can be conveyed in around 5-10 minutes during a conversation.

3. Email is Missing 90% of Human Communication

Effective communication actually has nothing to do with what you actually SAY, but everything to do with the tone of voice and body language. Without those two important aspects of communication: the interpretation is left entirely up to the reader. The written word, while powerful, is always subject to the reader’s interpretation and perspective. Two people can read the exact same message and have two completely different reactions based on their bias, experience, and emotional state.

Considering how much longer email can take versus an in-person conversation, do you actually want to even risk it?

Fighting Complacency

The biggest issue is, email is has become institutionalized. Email is the normal mode of communication. No matter how unproductive we all acknowledge that email has become, we still do not DO anything about it.

We have become complacent. People don’t like change and bucking the status quo takes energy. In this fast-paced insanely complex world we live in: who has time for that – right?

The question you need to ask yourself is:

“Do you have time to waste emailing?”

Email Less and Talk More

I’m not suggesting throwing your email account away or deleting the email app on your smartphone. A couple minor changes in your daily habits will equal big impacts.

1. Quick Messages = In-Person. Resist the urge to jot a quick email to someone. We all know that it will not end up being a quick message. There’s no such thing. Is your office is deprived of Instant Messenger or some type of IM application? Pick up the phone. Speaking directly to the person will automatically eliminate 75% of opportunities for miscommunication.
2. Clarification Messages = In-Person. I challenge you to take at least one clarification email to a colleague and turn into an in-person conversation. Several positive outcomes will be: (A) you get an opportunity to actually connect with the person, (B) you reduce the opportunity for misconceptions and (C) it will actually take less time to accomplish.
3. A Quick Note about CYA. Need your dialogue is documented? Follow up with an email to summarize the conversation. Inform your colleague that you will send a note to follow up on the conversation. There will be no room left for misunderstanding because you’ve already spoken with them.

Don’t fall victim to the lure of the secret productivity killer. There are urgent reasons to email less and talk more. The countermeasures to email complacency are simple. Plus: these changes will provide a platform to establish better connections with others!

Erin Urban LSSBB, CPDC is a certified professional & leadership development coach and a member of the Forbes Coaches Council with over 8 years in mentoring and coaching successful professional transformations. With an extensive background in leading individual, cultural and organizational change initiatives: her mission is to lift others up to defy their limits and exceed their goals.