Stop the Reply All: Building a Compassionate Email Culture*

"A 'Reply All' loop isn't just an annoyance—it's a symptom of a culture that lacks compassion."

In this episode of Better Every Shift, we dive into the digital "human factors" that either build trust or make us want to "punch the screen". We often use email as proof that we’ve "done the work," but with 50% of emails being misinterpreted and 70% of mobile emails being deleted if they look like an essay, our habit of overproducing text is actually counter-productive.

Naomi and Tubi explore how to move away from "batting the ball across the fence" for a quick dopamine hit of closure and toward communication that actually solves problems. From mastering the **Minto Pyramid** to knowing when to ditch the keyboard for a phone call, this shift is about reclaiming your time and treating your colleagues' inboxes with empathy.

Key Discussion Points

The Overproduction Trap: Why "bigger isn't better" when it comes to professional writing and why managers stop reading after the first two sentences.
The Minto Pyramid: How to structure your emails so the most important information is at the top, followed by themes, and leaving the data for the attachments.
Warmth vs. Competence: Applying Vanessa Van Edwards’ research to your inbox—balancing a friendly tone with a concise, clear structure that shows you can "get shit done".
The "Preference Conversation": Why you must ask your manager how they want to receive information and what specifically "keeps them up at night".
Stopping the "Rogue" Email Cycles: Using BCC transparently to kill "Reply All" loops before they start, and why "sneaky" CC-ing is a symptom of poor feedback culture.
Visceral Responses to Digital Tags: Why red exclamation marks and "Important" tags can actually make people work slower—not faster.
Email vs. Phone Call: The "one-back-and-forth" rule: if a resolution hasn't been reached after one reply, it’s time to pick up the phone.

By the end of this shift, you will have a practical toolkit to transform your digital presence. You’ll learn how to write emails that get a "yes" on the first try, how to protect your manager from a clogged inbox, and how to use digital tools to build a warmer, more effective team culture.

The Minto Pyramid Principle by Barbara Minto.
Vanessa Van Edwards’ Ted Talk: On Warmth, Competence, and hand presence.
HBDI (Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument): Understanding your communication preferences.
The Better Every Shift Compassionate Email GEM

Think of a great email like **sex education for a five-year-old**. You don't start with the full anatomy; you give a small amount of clear information, wait for a question, and then answer that question directly. In the same way, don't drown a senior leader in a "grand novel" of data—give them the key point and wait to see if they need the attachments.

Better Every Shift is the podcast for healthcare professionals ready to make a significant impact on their career and their culture. Hosted by Naomi and Tubi, we explore the hard questions and "small shifts" that lead to big success.

Connect with us to bring meaningful impact to your team check out our website.

From Storm Chaser to Global Change Agent: Prioritising Nurse Wellbeing with Mark Carter

“If you can’t look after yourself first, you’re absolutely useless.”

In this powerful episode of Better Every Shift, we sit down with Mark Carter, a nurse and health entrepreneur whose journey into the profession began with a near-fatal accident and a radical career pivot. Mark shares the raw reality of high-level nursing and business leadership, detailing a period of profound burnout during COVID where he survived on just two hours of sleep a night while working across global time zones. After being warned by his mother, also a nurse, that he was headed for an "early grave" or a stroke, Mark reset his life and founded MACH Health.

Named after his family—Mark, Allison, Charlotte, and Henry—MACH Health is a digital platform designed to put wellbeing support into the hands of every nurse in the world. Mark explains how his platform uses "nudges" to remind clinicians of basic human needs—like drinking water and taking bathroom breaks—that are frequently neglected due to system-induced strain. We explore the "double standard" in nursing where we save others while neglecting ourselves, and why Mark believes that a nurse who is "firing on all cylinders" delivers better, safer care.

Key Discussion Points

• The "Chinese Fire Engines" Incident: How a split-second decision and a traumatic leg injury led Mark to discover his passion for nursing while learning to walk again.
• The Reality of Global Burnout: Mark discusses the physical and emotional toll of scaling a dementia-care business while being a "stay-at-home dad" during the day and working UK hours at night.
• The Four Pillars of Health: We break down the Workplace Health Intervention Pathway, derived from 190 peer-reviewed journals, focusing on physical, nutritional, emotional, and sleep health.
• Digital Nudges as Clinical Tools: How daily reminders for hydration, nutrition, and "venting" journals can prevent brain fog and reduce clinical errors.
• Inclusive Leadership and Culture Change: Mark shares stories from his UK pilot program where senior leaders participate in live workplace stretching alongside their staff to grant "permission" for self-care.
• The Global Mission: Mark’s five-year goal to reach every nurse globally, including those in resource-poor areas, by leveraging community and common sense.
• The Power of Saying "Yes": Why being relentless and open to opportunities can lead to a career and impact you never imagined.

Resources Mentioned

• MACH Health App: A digital platform for nurse-specific wellbeing.
• Workplace Health Intervention Pathway: A sub-modality framework based on 190 peer-reviewed journals.
• People can reach Mark at mark@machhealth.com.au
• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/markcarter15
• Company website iwww.machhealth.com.au

About Better Every Shift: Better Every Shift is the podcast for brilliant healthcare professionals ready to make a significant impact on their careers. Hosted by Naomi and Tubi, we explore the hard questions, lived experiences, and innovative solutions that transform how we care for our patients and ourselves. Join us as we build a community dedicated to success, one shift at a time.

Connect with us to bring meaningful impact to your team check out our website.

A childhood memory of a kidney dish and a "snake in the corner" reveals a profound truth about patient anxiety: taking one minute to build trust at the start can save thirty minutes of struggle at the end.

Show Notes

In this episode, Tubi shares a visceral childhood memory from a naval medical center in Papua New Guinea that fundamentally shaped her approach to patient care. After being left alone in a room for 30 minutes with a kidney dish full of needles, Tubi and her sister experienced a level of anticipation and fear that led to a chaotic vaccination experience.

Key Takeaways:

• The "Snake in the Corner" Analogy: How visual triggers in a clinical space keep patients in a high-stress "anticipatory" state.
• The Trust Gap: Why patients in distress often cannot identify the "real issue" until they feel a sense of safety and trust with the clinician.
• The ROI of Connection: Why adding just one minute of curious conversation at the start of an interaction can save 20 to 30 minutes of struggle later on.
• Deciphering Reactions: Understanding how to pivot when a patient’s reaction doesn't seem to match the procedure or situation.

Chapters (Timestamps)

• 00:00 – Introduction: Moving to Port Moresby and the Naval Base clinic.
• 01:00 – The Kidney Dish: 30 minutes with the "Snake in the Corner".
• 02:30 – Peeling Her Off the Ceiling: The impact of anticipation on patient behavior.
• 10:00 – The Stress State: Why patients can't always identify the real problem.
• 15:00 – The "What Else?" Question: Digging deeper to find the source of fear.
• 19:00 – Conclusion: Saving time through early connection.

Tags

Nursing, Patient Experience, Healthcare Communication, Pediatric Care, Trauma-Informed Care, Better Every Shift, Clinical Leadership, Patient Anxiety, Quality Care.