Say something!
Sometimes – as in combining striped pants with a lace top and color-blocked platform shoes – less is more. But generally, when you’re deciding whether or not to communicate with someone, MORE is more (graphics credits to examiner.com).
My pet peeve is – and you know those folks too – people who are busier than thou and unable to even respond with the briefest of emails or texts. Well, the news flash is that we’re all that busy, and that it’s simply good manners to let someone know where something stands.
Let’s say you receive a long, convoluted email asking for your opinion about something that isn’t really critical to you at this moment. You could ignore it – leaving the sender hanging. Or, you could respond with the quickest of emails: Clarissa – I got your email and won’t have the chance to give it my full attention until Thursday. I’ll get back to you then. Now Clarissa knows that you aren’t just ignoring her, and you’ve bought yourself a little time.
Similarly, if you’re wondering where something you sent out stands, there’s nothing wrong with asking. Let’s say you sent an email out a week ago and haven’t heard from three of the four folks who received it. You send a brief email like this: Hi everyone – I just wanted to make sure you got my email from the 12th. I’m trying to wrap up the project by the first of next month and would love your feedback by later this week. It’s a gentle reminder especially useful to those with the 1,000 piece in baskets.
Same applies to if you’re running late on a project, or just need more information. Talk to people. You’d be surprised that most don’t bite. Think of it as a status update – only not on Facebook.
