I understand that it is the 21st century and I accept that “we are all busy”. In the midst of the rush from A to B, we often try and kill several birds with one stone. Texting and emailing have become such a big part of our lives. We have our hands glued to our smart devices and our eyes locked to the screens, while our fingers work their magic.

I must confess, I am not a fan of texting, emails, or group chats (yes, I said it).

However, I must engage the world, lest I am left behind.

But if we are going to have a conversation over email, let us do it properly. The modern era is not an excuse for poor communication.

With this in mind I put together what I believe are the rules of engagement for electronic communication:

  1. Write full words and sentences

I cannot overemphasise this.

Writing “K” or “cul” (for cool), could be excused in 2003 when we were stuck with Nokia 3310s, but today, the majority of phones have full keyboards! And if you’re that lazy, you can use the predictive text feature to assist you.

This rule not only applies to texting, but to emailing, too.

I have received numerous emails from people who have written in short hand. It just doesn’t look good or professional.

Let’s keep it full and in coherent sentences.

2. I am doing other things, too

While we enjoy the benefit of modern communication, we still have to live our lives. This means that while you have sent your correspondence, I may be doing something else.

This is not to be rude, but there is nothing worse than getting a text saying, “Hey did you get my text?” five minutes after receiving the first one. I understand the need for urgency but give it time. If it’s urgent, perhaps making a call is your next best option.

I understand if it has been two days and you have heard nothing back, but don’t make the mistake of thinking every bit of your correspondence needs urgent response.

That being said, it is also polite to let someone know if you have received it and will respond later. It could be a simple sentence saying: “Hi. I got your text, will respond ASAP”.

It takes two to tango, but both sides must have realistic expectations.

3. Do not repeat yourself – I got it the first time

I generally find this with emails.

Whenever they are sent back and forth, there is the temptation to say what has already been said, or to state the obvious.

Do not send it if it doesn’t need to be sent – the less there is in your friend’s inbox, the better. They’re probably dealing with a hundred other things.

4. Keep it short

Again, this generally applies to emails. I tend to err on the side of brevity. Make your point and sign off, unless it is a personal email to a friend. However, in doing this, make sure you maintain a level of politeness and professionalism despite your brevity.

5. Group chats and chain emails can be avoided

I am not sure if the invention of the “Reply All” button was a blessing or not.

The challenge with this feature and group chats, is that people who do not need to be in the conversation are roped in, to the bitter end of the chain correspondence.

If some people don’t need to be privy to the conversation, then exclude them, unless they expressly request to be part of it.

Being stuck in a conversation you have nothing to add to is just time consuming and sometimes detrimental to our sanity.

I hope these simple points can help our communication experience become even better.