Was my email rude?

[genericwhitemale]

I was corresponding with a co-worker via email and they sent me a link to a video. They said they could make time to set up a video call to discuss the video (we're working from home) or they could simply email it to me and leave it at that, saying they'd be happy to do either. I have a few deadlines coming up at once and am super busy. I replied 'email is definitely preferred.' 

I sort of realized after I'd sent the email that it sounds quite rude. I may as well have said, 'I don't want to talk. Send me the damn email and go away.' To be clear, that is not how I meant it and I plan to apologize for sounding rather rude, but I'm just wondering what you guys think. 

Do you think my reply was quite rude? 

Edited November 30, 2021 by a LoveShack.org Moderator
language

[glows]

It's a tad curt but move on. It's the "definitely" that makes it sound a bit harsh. 

Make a mental note to soften your approach for future reference. You can write instead in future "Thanks for reaching out, X. Email is preferred."

When the email comes in, thank your colleague. A word of thanks is highly appreciated. No need to worry about this. Focus on your other deadlines now. 

[Foxhall]

A simple "e mail is fine lot of deadlines this week" might have been better, what you said was a little abrupt but I dont think it was overly rude.

Ah I would not worry much about it- one of these things that will be forgotten about in a few days,

you could send a little one liner- just very busy with deadlines this week if your concerned they are offended.

 

[ShyViolet]

It was a little abrupt, and it would have been better without the "definitely", but I don't think it's as bad as you're making it out to be.  I wouldn't worry about it too much. 

[Carlon]

I don't see any problem with the email but given that your initial post was edited for language by a moderator I'm going to guess that there are other parts of your communications to others that you might want to take another look at if you don't want to be offensive.

 

[Traveller]

I've seen worse, perhaps this is the first time your coworkers have seen such manners coming from you.

[LuckyM]

not rude not at all 

Edited December 9, 2021 by LuckyM
clarity

[Cersei]

It's not rude at all. Short, sweet and to the point.

I once trained a guy on my duties. He had to send an email to someone providing a specific order number. These emails get sent a couple times a day so the recipient is fully aware what should be in the email.

He started typing things like "Good morning, I hope your weekend was amazing, blah, blah, blah."

I told him that as pleasant as that is to hear she (the recipient) is very, very busy and needs her order number . He needs to get to the point. I did not even mention that stack of work he had to do on our desk.

I find people in the work place at times are way too sensitive and offended. Aren't we all just there to get the job done?

[Alvi]

Don't see anything rude in your e-mail at all. Right to the point.

[dramafreezone]

I came in here preconditioned to think that your comment was going to be rude, and I fancy myself as someone that's ultra-sensitive to tone in writing.  I think the first person was accurate, curt but not rude per se.

[Wiseman2]

On 11/29/2021 at 5:42 PM, genericwhitemale said:

 I replied 'email is definitely preferred.'

Succinctness and conciseness are lost arts. Too often people are all over the place with redundancies, extraneous unnecessary detail, etc. It's refreshing to get something to the point.

Quote

The American-English writing style guide Strunk and White says of concision that:

A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by Wiseman2