Email vs Face-to-Face Conversation

I recently replied to an email when I was frustrated.

Bad idea.

I read the email from my phone in a meeting. Never mind that I should have been focused on the meeting. The email lit me up like a Christmas tree. So I replied with an answer that, while accurate, was not constructive. It gets worse.

I hit “Reply all.”

Shortly after my reply I provided my feedback in a face-to-face conversation with the person I called out in my email. This person, whom we’ll call John, is a friend and trusted colleague, and our conversation was professional and productive.

A few hours later John saw my email. It was out of synch with our face-to-face conversation.

Over the next three days, John and I spent a lot of time repairing our relationship.

The message is clear: Be careful.

Before you text a message or reply to an email, stop and ask: Is the message I’m sending the message the person on the other end is receiving?