I recently read an article where an unflattering comment was made in an email about the judge in a legal proceeding. Unfortunately, the email was inadvertently sent to the judge in question and created an embarrassing and possibly improper legal situation.
I remember my parents and grandparents telling me, “Be careful what you say, because once you’ve said it, the damage is done.” And they were right. Once you say something, you can’t take back your words.
Today, email and texting are our ways of communicating, but that doesn’t change the truth of what my parents told me. Everyone does multi-tasking and because we are doing things so quickly, we can hit the send button, and inadvertently deliver a message to the wrong person. A little error like that could create a big mess by giving that person the wrong information or information they should not have. It could be a privacy issue where you are disclosing someone’s personal information.
Maybe the message accidentally goes to a co-worker. You are working out a deal with someone and you don’t want to give information to the other person involved because of the potential competition, or a competitor even within the same company, can find out about it and create a problem with your deal.
Another thing we need to be careful about is re-reading the message before we hit “Send.” Some programs, when you send a text message, substitute what they think you want to say. It’s just like a joke I saw on Facebook:
A child receives a text message that says, “Your mom and I are going to divorce.”
The child texts back, “What! What are you talking about?”
Dad sends back, “Oh, no, no. I’m sorry. Your mom and I are going to Disney.”
The program guessed what the parents wanted to say and the parents did not proof read the message before it was sent. You could almost give someone a heart attack for 5 seconds by sending the wrong information like this.
If we are honest, we can all, including me, think of a time when we sent an email or text to the wrong person. A small error that maybe created an uncomfortable business, financial or personal situation, the effects of which, in some cases, will continue for all time.
Basically, we want to be professional. We want to be polite. We want to be human and not insult people unintentionally. Spending an extra minute to re-read the message and check the distribution list can easily prevent those situations. I know email and texting are a sign of the times, but whether you are a buyer, a seller, a broker, or whatever, make sure you double check the message and the recipient list before you hit that “Send” button.
Remember, “A wise man is one who watches his words!”
Mendy Lipsker
Mendy Realty Inc.
822 Montgomery St
Brooklyn, NY 11213
Phone: 646.662.5454
email: info@mendyrealty.com
website: mendyrealty.com
