Issue #2

After reading the Stephen Leahy article, my overall perception of email as an effective communication form has been altered. While I, being like the other egotistical students in the test, believe that my message nearly always gets through to the other person, this is not always the case. Leahy states that as readers of email, we only have a 50% chance of correctly interpreting the tone of the writer. While I initially found this hard to believe, the study further proved the same concept. Because there is no true "voice" to email, it is extremely difficult to decipher what the speaker is truly trying to get across. Leahy points out that one main reason for this is that people are egocentric, usually trying to tell or explain things from his or her own perspective rather than branching out to the reader and looking at the issue from their point of view. Therefore, current moods, stereotypes, and expectations get in the way of the message, according to Leahy. I believe that the most effective way to send clear, concise emails is to stay organized and don't add unnecessary information. Email writers should always read over their work before it is send, insert appropriate headers and closing lines, and plan out what they will say before they write it out. With these easy steps, perhaps the number of misinterpreted emails will quickly fall.