Guidelines when using written communication

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The most important points

• Do not write when you are angry or upset.
• Remember, you are communicating with other people.
• Your feelings doesn't convey as well as when you are speaking.
• Everything you write can be used against you later.
• Use common sense when you evaluate information given to you in an e-mail.

Do not write an e-mail while you are upset or angry.

All the following points lead up to the most important rule, do not write a message when you are angry or upset.

You are communicating with other people.

With all forms of digital communication it is important to keep in mind that you are actually communicating with other people. This is sometimes easy to forget when you are sitting alone in front of your own computer.

Text does not convey feelings.

Remember that a written text does not convey your feelings in the same way as the spoken word. Other people might interpret the message differently than you. And vice versa, remember that your interpretation of a message that you have received might not be the same as the senders. Irony is very often lost in text.

Anything you write can be used against you.

Keep in mind that everything you write (e-mails, but also things you post on the internet and in newsgroups), will be stored on different servers and computers and you will probably be confronted with it when it is least convenient.

Hence, never write or post anything you cannot validate later.

Use common sense

Always be critical to information you receive.

When in doubt, try to verify information from multiple independent sources.