Yesterday was fun. I had another instance of someone responding to my low-key communication with unexpected spitting venom. Unfortunately it reminded me of the Global Dialog incident. And there have been others in recent memory, all involving e-mail communication. Maybe it’s an e-mail thing – I know that people tend to haul off and smack someone in an e-mail when they wouldn’t do so in person, or even over the phone. But I’m beginning to wonder if there’s something about me that causes people to snap.
The other problem is, I wasn’t able to just shrug it off as I should have. It really bothered me all day yesterday. If someone is unexpectedly difficult, insulting, or rude, how do you handle it? I’m not some sort of hothouse flower that needs to be handled carefully. But sometimes things just come out of left field, you know?
OK, back to Joe Millionaire, Justin Timberlake’s broken heart, and other matters of importance.
Aren’t you going to share the venom?
Nope.
I’ve had similar experiences, always over email. Polite, professional communication is endangered by the convenience of the medium, the lack of accountability, and the opportunities for misunderstanding in a form that is more often scanned than read. Don’t worry too much that you are to blame; there are a lot of people who are either very touchy or simply having a very bad day, and email makes it easy for them to vent inappropriately. Do, however, report the incident to his or her superior, if you are able.
My strategy for inappropriate e-mails is to call the offender, immediately, and to clearly state what my impression of their e-mail was, and to ask for clarification and an in-person meeting.
That usually scares them straight.