Bob Geldof rails against e-mails

By Martin Shankleman
BBC Radio 2 business presenter

I don't like emails: Sir Bob

Live8 organiser Bob Geldof has revealed his contempt for e-mails, blaming them for tying up people's time and stopping genuine action.

Mr Geldof told a conference in London that e-mails "give a feeling of action, which is a mistake".

He told delegates that what workers achieve each day will be linked to the number of e-mails they ignore.

He explained that the "doing part" of a job is proportionate to the amount of e-mails you do not answer.

"E-mails get in the way of serious consideration of what you want to do," Mr Geldof said.

An ill-considered email can destroy a deal Bob Geldof Send us your comments

At the conference, organised by the innovation firm ?What if! , Bob Geldof said he dreaded seeing lots of e-mails in his inbox, as they imposed an agenda on him, and disrupted his own plans for the day.

A successful businessman as well as a social activist, Mr Geldof also warned of the perils of a badly-phrased e-mail, which he said he knows from personal experience can cause serious commercial harm.

"The tone can be wrong", he explained. "An ill-considered e-mail can destroy a deal."

His advice to delegates at the conference in the Brick Lane area of London was blunt.

"Don't do e-mail."