Well, when it doesn't work to lecture people who are trying to communicate, try ignoring them. On public MLs, whenever my "this guy doesn't know how to communicate effectively" recognizer goes off, I typically hit 'd' and move on.
If the sender never notices, you probably haven't missed anything. If
he complains, *then* you get a chance to educate him:
A: Why don't you answer my emails?
B: Because you write like a drunken monkey? Reading your messages
is bootless and exhausting.
A: Huh? What's wrong with my writing?
[You have reached the Teachable Moment. Shift to a helpful,
empowering tone and explain how he can get more from the time he
spends on his missives by employing a few powerful conventions.
Notice how I didn't say "improve your writing" or "follow rules"?
There's something that he wants, and you're showing him how to
reach out and take it. You're offering him power and influence,
*for free*.]
Vary the initial answer in accordance with the audience -- you
probably wouldn't talk to your boss *quite* that way, but you can find
a way that works. Whatever the tactics, the goal is to get him to
wonder "what's wrong with my writing?" Then you can tell him what
could become right about it, which is a lot more interesting.
--
Mark H. Wood, Lead System Programmer mw...@iupui.edu
I don't do "doorbusters".
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