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Set Up a Responsible Rant

Whereas flaming may be an e-mail etiquette no-no, expressing your frustration and venting—to a safe source—is not. When done responsibly, an e-mail vent can help you let off steam when you’re upset about something. If you ever need to vent in an e-mail or online discussion group—and you don’t want anyone to take it personally—try using rant markers. The words “Begin Rant” and “End Rant” act as parentheses, marking the beginning and end of the get-it-off-your-chest section. For example:

Subject: Our office
From: Conan Hunak
Date: Friday, May 17
To: Operations Manager

Dear David:

I went over to the California office last week and couldn’t believe how different it was from our office.

They had new office furniture, clean carpets, an attractive lobby, and free breakfast cereal. Free!

Begin Rant:

I have to say, by comparison, our office is dumpy!

We’ve got dingy paint, stained carpets, and a lobby that looks like it has not been redecorated since 1967.

We need to move to a new building or redo this place!

End Rant.

Anyway, I had a good time in California, and, as you can tell, it really got me thinking about where we work and what we can do to have a better work environment.

Best,

Conan

The intention of a responsible rant is to express strong feelings without deliberately upsetting, shocking, or insulting anybody—the opposite of what a flame does.