Dealing with the deluge of requests that fall on communicators

Here it comes again – that note asking if we can send another email to our employees, just real quick.

The problem? It’s the fifth such email you’ve received this week, and your employees are complaining about information overload.

What do you do? How do you help handle that content appropriately while still maintaining a good relationship with the requester?

“If they are kind of important, you don’t want to burn those bridges because you don’t want to be seen as the Department of No,” explained Alyssa Oshiro, internal communications director at the National Wildlife Federation, during Ragan’s Communications Boot Camp. “You want to be seen as a business enabler, but you also don’t want to drive yourself crazy.”

Here are three ways to deal with these requests – without driving yourself crazy.

In order to politely explain why you can’t accommodate a request, you need to point to a broader strategy. For Oshiro, that’s the organization’s strategic plan. Prior to building that plan in 2024, there was no guiding light to point to in why requests were accepted or rejected. Now, definitions, reasons to send emails and objectives are all clearly defined.