Mega Mike

"I used the PA system so much that I later found out that the crew called me 'Mega Mike.' They said I never met a microphone I could resist talking into." -- Captain Abrashoff

His point is that, for all the teasing, people appreciate regular communication about what's going on. I've found that e-mail has terrific potential that way, though few I know use it as such.

One man's ground rules include:

1. Reply to every e-mail until it's clear that both parties have signed off from the conversation. Besides being curteous, it also removes that possibility that the sender's last e-mail was lost in transit. In practice I often use a simple "thank you" or similar e-mail when the discussion reaches its end.

2. Answer every part, or at least every question, in the e-mail. What would it be like in a regular conversation if someone asked me a question and I simply stared at them?

3. Reply to e-mails timely, or else make it clear that e-mail is not a good way to communicate.

Used correctly, e-mail allows fast, consistent communication of any number of work-related or personal topics. It would take one heck of a P.A. system to accomplish the same thing!