Widespread Digital Miscommunications — and How to Dodge Them

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1:31If you're in a rush, people are going to read the email and see a typo and kind of assume that you don't really have the time to respond to them thoughtfully. Read the message out loud before you send it. It'll help you catch any errors that might be in it. Punctuation actually really matters, especially with short sentences or phrases. It gives things kind of a finality that can come off as negative when you put a period on the end of short phrases. So for example, typing okay to someone versus okay period, the second one can come off as a little bit abrupt and may make people think you're upset with them.

2:06I know it sounds silly and maybe even unprofessional, but emojis used with caution can be really helpful in clarifying your message. People can't see your face when you're talking to them, so having a happy face every once in while kind of just makes the message feel lighter and helps express your tone. Slack as a platform is generally kind of urgent seeming. When people get a message from you they often think they have to respond right away. It's just like getting an AIM if you grew up in the 90s and you know what I'm talking about. But so a better way to slack someone is basically just to give them a time frame.

2:44So if it's not timely just say hey no rush I have a quick question. If it is timely, you might want to say, I need this by end of day or by this afternoon. You know, that might seem kind of obvious, but a lot of the time we forget to do those things. And lastly, I know I personally need to work on this. When you see someone has the do not disturb message on, those little Zs by their name, try to respect it. Even if you're anxious about getting your project done, you're going to end up having a better relationship with people when you respect their space when they need to take it. Finally, if someone sends you an email or Slack message that upsets you, it's best to just wait to respond.

3:23Once you have a little time to just think through your thoughts, you're going to be able to respond with a little bit more clarity and with more calm. If you have any more tips for us, things you do to make sure your communication is on point, just leave it for us in the comments, share it with each other. We're all going to be better communicators for it.

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