WEBVTT - Be ready to be forwarded

0:00:03.440 --> 0:00:08.440
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

0:00:09.080 --> 0:00:14.680
<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura, Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

0:00:15.600 --> 0:00:19.599
<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to never send an email that could

0:00:19.680 --> 0:00:24.040
<v Speaker 1>not be forwarded, either to a specific person or to

0:00:24.120 --> 0:00:28.840
<v Speaker 1>a larger and less private group. Once something is written down,

0:00:29.440 --> 0:00:32.480
<v Speaker 1>it is out of your hands. Best to be aware

0:00:32.520 --> 0:00:37.760
<v Speaker 1>of that and plan for it. In classic literature, there's

0:00:37.760 --> 0:00:40.519
<v Speaker 1>a frequent plot point that a letter falls into the

0:00:40.560 --> 0:00:44.960
<v Speaker 1>wrong hands. You trust someone to deliver an important message,

0:00:45.479 --> 0:00:50.880
<v Speaker 1>and yet something goes awry along the way, accidents or treachery.

0:00:51.960 --> 0:00:55.200
<v Speaker 1>The plot heaves forward as we realize that somebody knows

0:00:55.240 --> 0:00:58.280
<v Speaker 1>something that he or she is not supposed to know.

0:00:59.800 --> 0:01:03.720
<v Speaker 1>The modern workplace is not a Victorian novel, and yet

0:01:03.720 --> 0:01:06.560
<v Speaker 1>there's plenty of drama that happens when an email is

0:01:06.600 --> 0:01:10.640
<v Speaker 1>read by the wrong person. This happens all the time,

0:01:11.680 --> 0:01:15.399
<v Speaker 1>really all the time. I was reminded of this while

0:01:15.400 --> 0:01:19.080
<v Speaker 1>reading Erika Dwan's recent book Digital Body Language, How to

0:01:19.200 --> 0:01:23.600
<v Speaker 1>Build trust and connection no matter the distance. Erica has

0:01:23.680 --> 0:01:26.600
<v Speaker 1>lots of great email tips, like using acronyms such as

0:01:26.720 --> 0:01:30.720
<v Speaker 1>n N t R. That's no need to respond, never

0:01:30.800 --> 0:01:35.000
<v Speaker 1>say things like thoughts instead ask should we do a

0:01:35.720 --> 0:01:41.240
<v Speaker 1>B or C all wise, but I particularly liked her

0:01:41.360 --> 0:01:46.039
<v Speaker 1>checklist before sending an email. One of the checklist items

0:01:46.120 --> 0:01:51.280
<v Speaker 1>is how comfortable would I be if this message is screenshotted, forwarded,

0:01:51.640 --> 0:01:55.080
<v Speaker 1>or otherwise shared. What can I do to change it?

0:01:55.920 --> 0:01:58.320
<v Speaker 1>Or should I save this for a phone call or

0:01:58.360 --> 0:02:03.080
<v Speaker 1>face to face meeting. It is really important to ask this.

0:02:04.080 --> 0:02:07.560
<v Speaker 1>We have probably all wound up seeing something we shouldn't.

0:02:08.520 --> 0:02:12.240
<v Speaker 1>It is usually not a malicious error. What happens is

0:02:12.280 --> 0:02:15.480
<v Speaker 1>that you send to people an email and they respond,

0:02:16.120 --> 0:02:18.920
<v Speaker 1>and then one person on the chain adds someone else,

0:02:19.480 --> 0:02:21.919
<v Speaker 1>and then the whole thing gets forwarded to another party

0:02:21.960 --> 0:02:25.560
<v Speaker 1>for their thoughts. And if you said something not so

0:02:25.680 --> 0:02:29.080
<v Speaker 1>careful about that last party earlier in the chain, well

0:02:29.480 --> 0:02:32.480
<v Speaker 1>they might read the whole thread all the way down

0:02:32.520 --> 0:02:37.360
<v Speaker 1>to the bottom, and then you will be embarrassed. In

0:02:37.400 --> 0:02:41.200
<v Speaker 1>this day and age, you might be embarrassed. Broadly, we

0:02:41.240 --> 0:02:44.800
<v Speaker 1>would all hope that people would respect digital privacy, and

0:02:44.919 --> 0:02:47.919
<v Speaker 1>some companies lawyer up to make sure stuff is deleted,

0:02:48.760 --> 0:02:52.880
<v Speaker 1>But people often read emails on their phones. Their phones

0:02:53.280 --> 0:02:57.200
<v Speaker 1>have cameras. The phones also connect to apps like Twitter

0:02:57.480 --> 0:03:01.600
<v Speaker 1>or Instagram, where hundreds, if not thousands, of people can

0:03:01.639 --> 0:03:06.400
<v Speaker 1>see what is posted and forward it themselves. You make

0:03:06.440 --> 0:03:10.400
<v Speaker 1>a joke, your colleague finds funny, he screenshots it and

0:03:10.440 --> 0:03:13.320
<v Speaker 1>sends it to a friend who decides to post it

0:03:13.320 --> 0:03:17.000
<v Speaker 1>on Facebook, And well, if the joke was maybe not

0:03:17.320 --> 0:03:21.360
<v Speaker 1>entirely appropriate and your name is still on it, you

0:03:21.440 --> 0:03:25.520
<v Speaker 1>have a problem. So save the off color jokes for

0:03:25.560 --> 0:03:29.720
<v Speaker 1>your stand up routine. Anytime you commit something to writing,

0:03:30.440 --> 0:03:33.680
<v Speaker 1>assume that the audience might be broader than you think.

0:03:34.720 --> 0:03:38.640
<v Speaker 1>An email may even resurface from years ago. You've seen

0:03:38.680 --> 0:03:42.000
<v Speaker 1>it happen on social media to other people, it could

0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:45.400
<v Speaker 1>happen to you. Now. That doesn't mean that you have

0:03:45.480 --> 0:03:49.440
<v Speaker 1>to be incredibly guarded or awkward. You just have to think.

0:03:50.560 --> 0:03:54.040
<v Speaker 1>In general, talking about people critically behind their backs isn't

0:03:54.080 --> 0:03:58.040
<v Speaker 1>a great idea anyway, so it's probably not a great

0:03:58.080 --> 0:04:01.960
<v Speaker 1>idea in an email either. This is really just about

0:04:02.000 --> 0:04:07.920
<v Speaker 1>being empathetic. So as you prepare to hit send, take

0:04:07.960 --> 0:04:11.160
<v Speaker 1>a moment to ask yourself what would happen if someone

0:04:11.360 --> 0:04:15.160
<v Speaker 1>else saw the email. If you'd be able to explain

0:04:15.240 --> 0:04:17.760
<v Speaker 1>fairly easily, and you wouldn't be embarrassed to see it

0:04:17.760 --> 0:04:21.920
<v Speaker 1>out in the world, you're all right. Most likely none

0:04:21.920 --> 0:04:25.400
<v Speaker 1>of that will happen, but it is always the emails

0:04:25.440 --> 0:04:28.400
<v Speaker 1>where you would prefer it didn't happen where it does.

0:04:29.440 --> 0:04:34.039
<v Speaker 1>Best to be careful in the meantime. This is Laura.

0:04:34.920 --> 0:04:38.719
<v Speaker 1>Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of

0:04:38.800 --> 0:04:48.200
<v Speaker 1>our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you.

0:04:48.200 --> 0:04:51.119
<v Speaker 1>You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else.

0:04:51.839 --> 0:04:55.440
<v Speaker 1>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at

0:04:55.440 --> 0:05:00.280
<v Speaker 1>Before Breakfast pod. That's b E the number four than

0:05:00.400 --> 0:05:03.800
<v Speaker 1>breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me an

0:05:03.800 --> 0:05:08.120
<v Speaker 1>email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeartMedia dot com that

0:05:08.240 --> 0:05:11.440
<v Speaker 1>before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks

0:05:11.480 --> 0:05:19.400
<v Speaker 1>so much, I look forward to staying in touch. Before

0:05:19.440 --> 0:05:22.479
<v Speaker 1>Breakfast is a production of I heart Radio. For more

0:05:22.520 --> 0:05:26.000
<v Speaker 1>podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app,

0:05:26.279 --> 0:05:29.480
<v Speaker 1>Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.