Business Communication - Chapter 7
Which of the following is an example of the best way to begin a business phone call?
"Hello, Jacob. Thank you so much for speaking with me today."
You are sending a text message to a colleague you have not spoken to in over a year. Which of the following is the most appropriate text message to send?
"Hi. This is Janet. Do you happen to have the budget report from personnel?"
Which of the following are appropriate ways to end business phone calls?
"I really appreciate your input." "Thank you for taking the time to . . . "
Which of the following best exemplifies the most appropriate tone for a workplace instant message?
"Nice job in today's meeting! I'm available to help with follow-up calls if you need it."
Which of the following are examples of how to indicate an instant messaging exchange is complete?
"Talk to you tomorrow." "Have a nice evening."
Which of the following would be the most appropriate response to an instant message from a colleague that reads, "We need to reschedule tomorrow's meeting. It will be next Wednesday at 10 a.m. in the main conference room. I apologize for any inconvenience."
"Thank you for the update. I've noted the new date in my schedule."
Which of the following would be the most appropriate instant message response to the following instant message: "Sandy wanted to remind everyone about the farewell luncheon for Tom tomorrow at noon. Hope to see everyone there!"
"Thanks for the reminder! Looking forward to seeing everyone!"
Which of the following messages would be the most appropriate to send via instant message to a colleague?
"The team meeting has been confirmed for 9 a.m. this Friday."
-Clearly End the IM Exchange Some IM exchanges become awkward as they drag on. Send signals that the exchange is complete
("Thanks for the update. Talk to you tomorrow.").
Tony has important decisions to make about the future of an employee, but before he can make those decisions he needs to get some accurate and truthful information from the employee on a sensitive issue. Because he needs to use the richest communication channel possible to discuss a delicate matter with the employee, which of the following would best suit his needs?
face-to-face communication
In business communication, email is generally considered inadequate in which of the following task areas?
facilitating discussions delivering sensitive messages
Which of the following are types of cyber incivility that female supervisors commit more commonly than male supervisors do?
failing to reply to emails sending time-sensitive messages via emails
Resources are the investments needed to ensure channels of communication. Investments in which of the following would be considered resources?
finances time space
Which of the following are characteristics of defusing?
forestalling any rise in tensions removing friction
Which of the following are the email features that can be a factor in the development of email chains?
forward reply to all copy
Which of the following are effective practices for group calls?
getting each participant involved using an agenda following up with minutes and action items
Before business emails are sent, which of the following should be checked?
grammar punctuation spelling
In business emails, persons with a blue or hub MVS (motivational value system) often favor the use of
greetings. names.
Those who have the ability to defuse incidences of cyber incivility effectively usually have
high emotional intelligence.
immediacy
how close or involved people appear to be with each other
To make certain that a vital business email is correctly and fully edited and proofread before being sent, it should be written
in a word processing program.
After experiencing cyber incivility, you should reinterpret your first reactions with assessments that have
increased objectivity. greater fact-based conclusions. more personally detached appraisals.
In passive incivility, cyber disrespect occurs
indirectly.
Because business professionals use a large quantity of email for communication, they typically associate emails with which of the following?
information overload email fatigue
reinterpretation
involves adjusting your initial perceptions by making more objective, more fact-based, and less personal judgments and evaluations
defusing
involves avoiding escalation and removing tension to focus on work objectives
active incivility
involves direct forms of disrespect (i.e., being condescending, demeaning, saying something hurtful).
passive incivility
involves indirect forms of disrespect (i.e., using emails for time-sensitive messages, not acknowledging receipt of emails, not replying to emails).
When email senders experience cyber silence, they commonly feel which of the following?
irritation anger
The main reason that using a webcam for group calls is advantageous is because
it allows for rich conversations with nonverbal cues.
What are three problems associated with using the "reply all" feature in business emails?
losing track of the sequence of emails using "reply" instead of "reply all" missing messages entirely
Which of the following are characteristics of emails sent by low-morale business organizations?
low use of polite closings low use of greetings
When a business professional writes an email to another business professional, which of the following qualities should be avoided to be respectful of time?
mediocre writing lack of clarity
Work phone conversations are similar to ______, so you should consider sending an invitation with an agenda to your conversation partner.
meetings
When a signature block is effective, it can increase the sender's reputation for
professionalism.
Which of the following are qualities that facilitate the reading of a business email message?
putting the most important data at the beginning of the message ensuring paragraphs are brief and no longer than about 50 words
Most successful working relationships combine asynchronous and ______ communications.
synchronous
Which of the following are the most common forms of e-interruptions?
text messages email
richness
the abundance of nonverbal cues that add clarity to a verbal message
relaxation
the degree of tension displayed by one's body
Which of the following contribute to cyber incivility?
the lack of face-to-face contact online the quick pace of online interaction
communication channel
the medium of transmission that carries the coded message from the source to the receiver
What does the richness of a communication channel involve?
the number of cues available the level of immediacy
Before forwarding an email, a business professional should take into account which of the following?
the perceived opinion of the original sender on the suitability of forwarding the email the necessity of forwarding the email
planning
the process of anticipating future events and determining strategies to achieve organizational objectives in the future
The business professionals who write emails should have _______ in mind when composing their messages.
the recipients
permanence
the state or quality of lasting or remaining unchanged indefinitely.
Placing specific requests and directions in which part of an email provides the greatest clarity that action is needed?
the subject line
Which of the following are motivations for leaving out names in business emails?
to avoid unneeded formality to have the email resemble a memo
What is the goal of relaxation when dealing with uncivil electronic communications?
to be able to make a rational response
The use of a brief greeting in a business email and including the name of the email's recipient tend
to create goodwill.
When you experience cyber incivility, your primary goal should be
to ensure that the situation does not get worse.
Which of the following are reasons you should exercise discipline and avoid personal instant messages at work?
to establish your professionalism to gain the respect of your colleagues
One way to help with effective time management when organizing deadlines via email is
to provide clear timelines.
Which of the following best explain why you should clearly end an instant messaging exchange in workplace texts?
to send a signal that the exchange is complete to prevent the exchange from awkwardly dragging on
Management strategies for dealing with e-interruption issues include which of the following?
turning off message alerts not checking emails more than once every 45 minutes
When working in a shared workspace or attending a meeting, you should consider ______ for incoming instant messages.
turning off the sound alerts
For which two of the following situations would instant messages be the most appropriate choice?
uncomplicated business messages short business messages
Business professionals who habitually change meeting times and locations at the last minute via instant messages are generally considered to be
unreliable.
cyber incivility
violation of respect and consideration in an online environment based on workplace norms
You should end business phone calls
with an expression of appreciation.
Most effective business calls get to the point
within one to two minutes
Candace makes a lot of phone calls for her job. She has received feedback indicating that she speaks in a monotone and does not sound very engaged. Which of the following can she do to speak more enthusiastically and pleasantly?
Candace should listen to her recorded voice to get ideas about changes she should make. Candace should engage in nonverbal behaviors, such as smiling, sitting up straight, and gesturing, during phone calls.
True or false: The prevalence of emails and text messages in the workplace have rendered the phone call obsolete and unnecessary.
False Reason: For most business professionals, less phone calling translates into lost opportunities.
True or false: True task-based business emails allow the sender to easily avoid any emotion.
False Reason: It is nearly impossible to avoid emotion completely in any type of email.
True or false: If you can't take care of an email request right away, you should not respond at all until you can send a full and detailed response.
False Reason: Recall that you should reply immediately and inform the sender of the email when you will be able to respond in full.
True or false: Group calls differ from other virtual meetings in that they do not require participants to follow the guidelines of effective virtual meetings.
False Reason: The guidelines of effective virtual meetings, including using an agenda and following up with minutes, apply to group calls.
Which of the following are appropriate ways to reply to an email with a request that you cannot immediately respond to in full?
I can respond to your email by the end of the week. I will get back to you on Thursday after I've had a chance to study your request. I can take care of your request two days from now.
Which of the following statements about sending work instant messages after work hours are true?
IMs can blur the line between personal and work time. IMs may be considered more intrusive than emails.
Which of the following statements about instant messaging in meetings are true?
It is becoming increasingly common in some organizations. It can cause distractions and be abused.
-Consider Turning Off Sound Alerts for Incoming Messages/Emails This can be especially distracting when you work in shared workspaces.
It's also a matter of productivity.
Jason's company just began using a new technology for videoconferences, and Jason is excited to try out the interactive options. He thinks they will be very useful for his team. In his first meeting he shares his screen, conducts a poll, and uses the virtual whiteboard just to try them out. After the meeting the participants have trouble remembering what was discussed during the call. Which of the following is the most likely reason?
Jason used the interactive tools with no real purpose.
Pappy sent an identical instant message to two members of his team about the deadline for a report. One recipient felt Pappy was criticizing him and anticipating that he would miss the deadline. The other recipient appreciated the reminder and was grateful for Pappy's organizational skills. Which of the following is the best option for Pappy in order to avoid future misinterpretation of his instant messages?
Pappy needs to consider the meta messages of his instant messages.
If you do not get people interested and engaged in a group call right away, which of the following are likely to happen?
Participants will tune out. Participants will start multitasking.
Relaxation involves releasing and overcoming anger and frustration so that you can make a more rational and less emotional response.
People use a variety of methods to alleviate the physiological impact of anger, including counting to ten, taking time-outs, engaging in deep breathing, and looking for the humor in the situation.
The benefits of spoken versus written messages reflect an important point: Choosing between communication channels is generally a matter of trade-offs.
There is no such thing as a perfect communication channel. Written business communication complements the weaknesses of spoken business communication and vice versa.
-Don't Ask Questions You Can Get Answers to Yourself Many tools such as instant messaging allow professionals to get questions answered quickly by their colleagues. Be careful about overusing this approach to getting information, especially when you can get the information yourself without much effort.
When professionals ask questions and offload their own work via instant messages or emails too often, they get reputations as takers rather than givers.
Which of the following should be done at the beginning of a business phone call?
You should make a few light comments to get the conversation started.
Which of the following should you do during business phone calls to get the most out of them?
You should make the call your entire focus. You should avoid multitasking.
Which of the following is the best way to make a business phone call more personal?
You should use your caller's name.
This type of communication does not occur in real time.
asynchronous
What does the term cyber silence refer to?
The time during which the sender of an email message does not receive a reply.
According to a recent study, nearly all business professionals expect an email response within
4 hours.
To defuse fully a workplace situation created by cyber incivility, which of the following actions should you take?
Arrange an in-person meeting. Emphasize task facts and issues in an email. Seek shared goals and common ground.
Douglas is a business professional in sales. He has a new product to promote, and he believes the product will be very popular and in demand. Douglas knows that a number of companies would benefit from offering the product. To build connections with these companies, which approach should Douglas first take?
Douglas should try to reach the companies by phone.
neutrality effect
Effect causing people to perceive messages with an intended positive emotion as neutral.
Which of the following are reasons email is not considered a rich channel for communication?
Email does not have nonverbal cues. Email is deficient in verbal cues.
Which statements are true of the demands placed upon the recipient of a business email?
Emails may create a time commitment. Emails add to the amount of work a recipient must do. Emails often disrupt other work tasks.
coordination
Grammatical equivalence between parts of a sentence, often through a coordinating conjunction such as and, or but.
Hannah had a productive phone call with her colleague during which a number of decisions were made. After hanging up, Hannah could not remember many of the decisions. Which of the following best explains what she should have done?
Hannah should have taken some notes during the call.
Sam gets off work, goes to the gym, and then has dinner with some friends. When he gets home he remembers that he forgot to add a section to a team report that is due the following week. He needs information from his colleague Stacy to write the section. Sam is afraid that he will forget if he doesn't communicate with Stacy right away, but he doesn't want to disrupt her evening. Which of the following is Sam's best option?
He should send an email.
Which of the following statements about instant messaging in the workplace are true?
Instant messaging is suited for short and simple business messages. Attitudes toward instant messaging in the workplace vary significantly.
Lee just started working in a traditional, corporate setting that has many workplace regulations. Lee's previous job was with an innovative start-up company. She wants to send a question to her manager about a presentation she is planning. She needs an immediate answer, so she decides to send an instant message. Which of the following should she consider before sending the message?
Lee should evaluate the meta message of her instant message. Lee should think about her manager's attitudes toward instant messaging.
As the number of people involved in an email chain grows, which of the following occur?
More messages are included. Turmoil and confusion increase.
In a business setting, the negativity effect means that emails sent with a neutral intent are received as being
Negative Reason: It is called the negativity effect because the effect is neither positive nor neutral.
Which of the following should you do to use your webcam effectively during group calls?
Position your webcam so you are speaking directly to your listeners. Make certain you have good lighting and a clean background. Maintain direct eye contact with the webcam.
Effective texting during workplace meetings includes which of the following?
Prompting team members about topics to cover Asking for information from colleagues or clients outside the meeting
Sam made all the arrangements needed for an important business call. He provided an agenda and checked the quality of his phone. During the call, Sam used the caller's name, gave him a warm greeting, and kept the call on point and within the time limit he had anticipated. Sam said everything he had intended and, although his caller did not say very much, Sam felt the call went well. He later received feedback that the caller did not feel much of a connection to Sam. Which of the following might best explain why?
Sam did not share conversation time equally with the caller.
Suzanne has an important phone call with a new client. She has prepared carefully for the call, providing an invitation and detailed agenda to the client. She needs to make the call from a new location different from where she usually works. Which of the following should she also do to make sure she has a successful phone call?
She should test the audio quality of her phone from the new location.
Which of the following are strategies to avoid the effects of e-interruptions?
Shorten email chains through effective word use. Use rich channels to accomplish a task rather than email. Reply to urgent messages right away.
Which of the following are reasons why you should consider turning off the sound alerts for incoming texts in your workplace?
Sound alerts tend to be very distracting. Turning off sound alerts can increase productivity.
Email chains are defined as emails
That are sent back and forth among a group of people
Nancy was both nervous and excited about her phone call with a client. Her enthusiasm was manifested in the phone call by fast and seemingly rushed talking. Which of the following is the most likely reaction from the client?
The client believed Nancy wanted to move on to other things.
When writing a business email, maintaining a high standard of writing is key for which of the following reasons?
The number of people who might see the message is high.
Why should sarcasm and jokes in workplace instant messages be avoided in most cases?
They can be easily misunderstood or misinterpreted.
Which of the following is true regarding business professionals who frequently ask questions and offload their own tasks to others instant messages or email?
They get a reputation as takers rather than givers. Reason: The issue here is of overusing the channels of communication to make requests of others.
Which of the following can be accomplished by phone calls, in contrast to other, less-rich channels?
They help business professionals manage conflict more effectively. They help business professionals resolve problems more quickly. They allow business professionals to connect with better understanding.
Tim, a supervisor, and Sue, his supervisee, just concluded a phone call during which many decisions were made, including how tasks would be delegated to specific team members. Which of the following should Tim do to make certain the agreements are accomplished?
Tim should send a reminder message to Sue within a few hours after the call. Tim should document the agreements of the conversation so that there is a record.
True or false: "Reply to all" is an email feature that contributes to email chains in the business environment.
True Reason: "Forward," "copy," and "reply to all" contribute to the formation of email chains.
Is it important to follow up in writing on decisions made during business phone calls?
Yes, because a written follow-up improves the likelihood that you will accomplish your shared goals.
Which of the following statements about instant messaging in the workplace are true?
You should be aware of others' instant messaging styles and match them. You should use standard language conventions and complete sentences until you know the instant messaging style of your colleagues.
Which of the following are appropriate ways to begin a group call?
You should engage each participant at the beginning of the call. You should start the call with purpose.
Which is the recommended course of action when you need information quickly that you can get yourself without too much trouble?
You should get the answer yourself.
Which of the following should you do in an instant message to a colleague you do not regularly communicate with via instant message?
You should identify yourself.
Which of the following should you do to prepare for less formal phone conversations?
You should let your conversation partner know the approximate duration of the call. You should plan the purpose of the phone conversation. You should decide on the major points to cover.
_____ business professionals are the group most likely to expect an immediate response to an email.
Younger
Which of the following are reasons why you should take such actions such as smiling, using hand gestures, and sitting up straight during business phone calls even though the other caller cannot see you?
Your nonverbal behaviors can be reflected in your voice. Acting like you would if you were talking in person can carry through in a pleasant, clear voice.
Which of the following are advantages you gain by being able to defuse cyber incivility incidents?
Your reputation for dealing with people will benefit. Your work teams will perform better.
The increased use of mobile phones in people's personal lives, as opposed to work lives, has resulted in
a downward trend in phone calls.
To ensure the best-quality audio for business phone calls, which of the following is the best choice?
a landline connection if available
Which of the following should be sent as attachments rather than in the body of a business email?
a lengthy report pictures and graphics a complex spreadsheet
Instant messages in the workplace are considered to be ______ by most business professionals.
a relatively casual communication channel
Emails that are easy to read have which of the following features?
a subject line that clarifies the message obvious labeling of document attachments
negativity effect
a tendency to place emphasis on the negative information we learn about others
In a business environment, copying an email sent between equals to their direct superior is seen as
a type of power play.
In a business environment, potentially serious errors in emails include
accidentally releasing confidential data. unknowingly sending sensitive information. addressing emails to the wrong recipients.
resources
all things used in producing goods and services
Which of the following are common outcomes of the negativity or neutrality effect in a business setting?
an increase in conflict uncertainty apprehension
When group call participants spend the beginning of a call figuring out the technology, the meetings
are generally unproductive.
Ideally, business email writers should favor a(n) ______ tone.
balance between a formal and a friendly
Which of the following should be included in an effective signature block in a business email?
clearly presented contact information the sender's name
When you coordinate tasks by email, you show respect for the recipient's time by
clearly stating your availability. providing details about time frames. providing several possible time slots for any meetings.
synchronous communication
communication in which people interact in real time and can at once both send and receive messages
asynchronous communication
communication such as email in which the message and the response do not occur at the same time
Which of the following characteristics of a subject line will increase the likelihood that the recipient of a business email will open it immediately?
compelling descriptive
Which of the following are considered to be unprofessional writing and formatting for business emails?
composing a message in an uncommon font spelling words in a nonstandard fashion typing words in all capital letters
Rather than using a priority flag, the best way to gain a business email recipient's immediate attention is by
composing an effective subject line.
An effective business email is
concise
In a business environment, overuse of the "reply to all" feature often creates ______ for recipients.
confusion
Which of the following are typical consequences of copying too many people in a business email?
confusion over responsibilities watered down responsibility information overload
Which of the following are methods of achieving relaxation?
counting to ten breathing deeply finding an amusing angle to the situation
Because of the neutrality effect, a business email recipient may incorrectly interpret the sender's
emotional intent.
Which of the following are effects of cyber incivility in the workplace?
decreased job contentment less dedication to the company
Overuse of the priority flag by a business email sender can lead to a reputation as
demanding.
Which of the following are effects of e-interruptions on business professionals?
diminished attention spans added work stress decreased inventiveness
Active incivility is being disrespectful in a(n) ______ fashion.
direct
Sending an email to the wrong person can result in which of the following?
disclosure of confidential business plans release of private information negative professional outcomes
Cyber incivility can be defined as showing ______ online.
disrespect
E-interruptions are defined as interruptions caused by
electronic messages.
Currently, the primary form of written business communication is
email.
cues
minor stimuli that determine when, where, and how the person responds
In a business environment, appropriate email attachments include which of the following?
most picture and graphics files files that are not suitable for inclusion in the email window large spreadsheet files
High-morale business organizations often send emails that have which of the following?
names greetings courteous closings
According to the neutrality effect, when senders of a business message impart a positive emotion to a message, recipients have a tendency to interpret the message as having ______ emotion.
neutral Reason: It is called the neutrality effect because the effect is neither positive nor negative.
cyber silence
nonresponse to emails and other digital communications
Which of the following are common interactive tools that come with videoconferencing platforms?
online chat polling screen sharing
The forward feature of emails allows an email recipient to ______ the email.
pass along
Persons with a blue or hub MVS (motivational value system) are persons who are deeply oriented towards
people.
During work hours you should avoid ______ instant messages.
personal
Reinterpretation of uncivil electronic communications ultimately allows you to have a less ______ reaction to the email.
personal
Out of respect for message recipients, business professionals should ensure that all emails they send are which of the following?
pertinent needed
Which of the following is the most courteous way of contacting colleagues if you have to change a meeting time or place at the last minute?
phone call
Which of the following are constructive steps that can be taken to address workplace cyber incivility?
relaxation reinterpretation defusing
constraints
restrictions placed on potential solutions to a problem
The use of which two of the following has the potential to create a misunderstanding in business emails?
sarcasm comedy
If you are leading a group call, which of the following will help ensure a productive call?
sending out information about the technology you will use to make the call practicing beforehand with the technology for the call
Because of e-interruptions, the average business professional loses around how many hours of productivity per day?
several hours
During business phone calls, conversation time should be
shared equally between the two callers.
Because it is not a rich communication form, email is usually unsatisfactory for
sharing bad news.
The best way to get a response to a business email when action is needed is to include
specific and clear requests.
control
standard for comparison
Most instant messages in the workplace should be reserved for
straightforward, positive messages.
What qualities are valued for email by business managers who believe that emails should express no emotion?
straightforwardness task-based messages
Which of the following should you do at the end of a business phone call?
summarize next steps wrap up important points
As you message with colleagues and other contacts, consider the following tips.
-Evaluate the Meta Message of Instant Messaging -Use IM for Simple and Brief Conversations, Not for Important Decisions -Make Sure Your Tone Is Positive, Supportive, and Appropriately Fun -Don't Ask Questions You Can Get Answers to Yourself -Be Careful about Abbreviated Language, Emoticons, Acronyms, and Emoji -Avoid Sarcasm and Jokes in Most Cases -Avoid Rescheduling Meeting Times or Places -Consider Turning Off Sound Alerts for Incoming Messages/Emails -Identify Yourself -Clearly End the IM Exchange -Avoid Personal IM during Work Hours -Avoid Sending Instant Messages after Work Hours -Establish Rules with Your Colleagues for Instant Messaging in Meetings
Participating in and Leading Group Voice and Video Calls Increasingly, you'll participate in video conferences, web conferences, and conference calls to meet with groups of colleagues and other professional contacts. Most business professionals spend at least five hours each week on video and web conferences. Sometimes you'll have video and other times you may only have audio. You'll sometimes use high-end videoconferencing platforms and other times use web conferencing tools such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, or Skype. Many of the tips that we discussed for one-to-one calls apply, as do the guidelines for effective virtual meetings. In addition, consider the following tips.
-Practice Using the Technology before the Group Call -Use Your Webcam Effectively -Use Interactive Tools Wisely -Start the Call with Purpose and Take Charge -Follow the Guidelines of Effective Virtual Meetings
Which of the following channels has the most constraints?
An online conference involving a senior executive team Constraints refer to the practical limitations of coordination and resources. The online conference requires the most resources because the largest number of people are involved and because the time of senior executives is a particularly valuable resource for their organization. This channel also requires a relatively high degree of coordination because it involves the largest number of people.
Anne has to plan an important meeting that will bring together a sales team from different countries, and will involve many complicated components. Which of the following would be the best option for communicating with the venue manager?
Anne should use email so that she will have a detailed record of all the arrangements.
Shockingly, recent research shows that 91 percent of employees reported experiencing either active or passive cyber incivility from supervisors in the workplace.
Active incivility involves direct forms of disrespect (i.e., being condescending, demeaning, saying something hurtful). Passive incivility involves indirect forms of disrespect (i.e., using emails for time-sensitive messages, not acknowledging receipt of emails, not replying to emails). Cyber incivility has been shown to lead to lower job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Active incivility was the most damaging
Which of the following channels has the most control?
An email Control refers to the degree to which communications can be planned and recorded, thus allowing strategic message development. Professionals can carefully plan what they write in emails, and emails typically leave a more precise record of communication than do phone calls and online conferences.
Which of the following channels is considered the richest?
An online conference (e.g., Google Hangouts) Richness involves two considerations: the level of immediacy and the number of cues available. Immediacy relates to how quickly someone is able to respond and give feedback. In high-immediacy communication, people have immediate access to a variety of cues, including social cues (turn-taking), verbal cues (tone of voice), and nonverbal cues (gestures, facial expressions). With verbal and audio cues and immediate feedback, online conferences are richer than phone calls and email.
Take Notes on Important Points and Summarize Next Steps at the End of the Call As you're speaking, take some notes so you can recall the most important points of agreement.
At the end of the call, take a few minutes to wrap up and summarize next steps.
Cyber incivility is the violation of respect and consideration in an online environment based on workplace norms.
Research has shown that "fast-paced, high-tech interactions may add to incivility, as people believe that they do not have time to be 'nice' and that impersonal contacts [such as electronic communications] do not require courteous interaction."
-Evaluate the Meta Message of Instant Messaging In Chapter 5, you read about meta-messages, the overall but often underlying messages that others decode from your communications.
Because professionals hold so many attitudes toward instant messaging, think about how they'd interpret your use of IM. One colleague might decode your instant message as saying, "You're not important enough for a phone call." Another colleague might decode the sameinstant message as saying, "I want to keep you in the loop, so I'm messaging you."
Provide Timelines and Options If you use email to coordinate tasks with deadlines, provide detailed information about time frames and your availability. If you are setting up appointments, make sure you have provided several options.
By clearly providing timelines and schedules, you minimize the number of emails needed to coordinate your efforts, thus saving time. By providing options, you show respect for your colleagues' schedules.
Reinterpretation involves adjusting your initial perceptions by making more objective, more fact-based, and less personal judgments and evaluations. When people are distressed, they often make extreme, subjective, and overly personal judgments.
By reinterpreting the event, you allow yourself to take the communication less personally. This is easier said than done. Many people engage in relaxation techniques to help constructively reinterpret the event.
Open with a Warm Greeting and Use Your Caller's Name You've read this advice several times in this book, and you'll hear it several more times:
Calling others by name personalizes and elevates your communications with them.
Many business professionals erroneously assume they can respond immediately to all incoming messages and focus sufficiently on work tasks. This is simply not the case. A University of Michigan study found that productivity drops by up to 40 percent when people try to do two or more things at once. A variety of research about the brain shows that it is not hardwired to multitask effectively. In most business positions, however, you need to respond to others as soon as possible. This places you in a delicate balancing act; how can you stay responsive to others yet focus enough to achieve peak performance in your work tasks? Consider the following guidelines:
Check digital messages just four to five times each day at designated times. Unless your job calls for it (or your boss demands it!), try not to check your messages more than every 45 minutes. Consider taking some interruption-free periods during the day exclusively devoted to email so you can concentrate on communicating with others. For example, you might schedule 30 minutes to an hour at 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 4 p.m. each day to communicate via email and other online tools. Wean yourself off checking your mobile devices constantly. Most professionals get anxious if they don't check their phones every 15 minutes or even more frequently. A variety of anxieties, such as FOMO (fear of missing out) and FOBO (fear of being offline), drastically cut many professionals' productivity. Consciously extending the periods between when you glance or check your devices can dramatically improve your effectiveness. Develop strategies to manage your inbox. Experiment with various ways of staying current with your email. Common strategies include LIFO (last in, first out), reverse chronological, and inbox zero. LIFO is most common and involves top-down reading of your email list. This helps you deal with your most current emails. Some of the older email messages sometimes involve issues that have been worked out already. The risk is you may read and respond to a more current message without the context needed from prior messages. The reverse chronological solves this problem by ensuring you see the original messages first. It also rewards people in the order they sent messages to you. Yet, you may also expend time reading and responding to issues that have already been addressed or solved. Inbox zero is a strategy of immediately taking action on every email and keeping your inbox empty by the end of each session. You can use a variety of email tools such as filters and rules to efficiently read and respond to your most important email. Turn off message alerts. Over the course of a day, these alerts can distract you and reduce your focus. Use rich channels such as face-to-face and phone conversations to accomplish a task completely. Back-and-forth email chains and other sets of asynchronous digital messages may repeatedly draw attention away from tasks at hand. As appropriate, use rich, synchronous communication to take care of the matter immediately so that distractions do not compound themselves. Reply immediately only to urgent messages. When you reply immediately to nonurgent messages, you set a precedent. Others form an expectation that you can be interrupted at any time for any matter. Avoid unnecessarily lengthening an email chain. You can shorten email chains by placing statements such as "no reply necessary" in the subject line. You can also shorten email chains by not sending messages such as "got it" or "thanks." At the same time, make sure you don't abruptly end an email chain when others would appreciate a reply. For example, some business professionals appreciate short notes of gratitude and confirmation. Use automatic messages to help people know when you're unavailable. Set up automatic messages to let people know when you are out of the office for more than one day.
Follow Up on Agreements Many professionals often don't follow through on commitments they make to each other on calls. This happens most often when neither person documents the content and agreements of their conversation.
Consider sending a message within a few hours of your call while the conversation is still fresh in your minds. This dramatically improves the likelihood that you will accomplish your shared objectives.
Constraints refer to the practical limitations of coordination and resources.
Coordination deals with the effort and timing needed to allow all relevant people to participate in a communication. Resources include the financial, space, time, and other investments necessary to employ particular channels of communication. A meeting of ten corporate employees who fly in from different cities is a high-constraint communication that requires extensive coordination and resources.
Avoid Indications That You View Email as Casual Communication Certain casual ways of writing and formatting appear unprofessional—for example, using all lowercase letters or nonstandard spelling (i.e., hey barbara, how r u), using excessive formatting (i.e., flashy background colors, unusual fonts), providing extraneous information in the signature line (i.e., favorite quotations), and typing in all caps for full phrases and sentences (IMPLIES ANGER).
Humor and sarcasm, too, can be misinterpreted in digital communications, even among close colleagues. Furthermore, even when considered funny, it can draw attention away from your central message.
-Avoid Sending Instant Messages after Work Hours Many new communication tools lead to professionals blurring the line between personal time and work time.
IM, compared to emails and other communication tools, may be considered even more intrusive when sent after hours because of the expectation of immediate responses.
Select Message Recipients Carefully Before sending an email, think about the workload you are creating for your colleagues or other message recipients. Not only do they commit time to reading your email, but they also often interrupt another work task to do so.
If you are requesting information or action, your colleagues are further committed in terms of time. So, make sure the email is necessary and relevant for each of your message recipients.
Use Attachments Wisely Attachments allow business professionals to share files that do not display effectively in an email window. Messages that are more than several paragraphs long are typically appropriate as attachments. Also, pictures and other graphics, spreadsheets, databases, and many other types of files are nearly always more appropriate as attachments.
However, be careful about sending attachments that are too large, since they may fill others' email boxes. Also, consider whether these documents are more appropriate as shared files on a company intranet or another location (such as Google Drive or Dropbox).
Managing Your Digital Communication Efficiently Constantly checking incoming messages—emails, texts, IMs, and other digital messages—or simply hearing message alerts distracts business professionals from concentrating on the tasks at hand. As you are bombarded with incoming messages, your productivity decreases for two reasons: You are distracted from your immediate tasks, and you try to multitask. Interruptions from digital messages, or e-interruptions, are extremely costly to your performance. One recent study found that the average worker several hours per day due to interruptions. Many of these distractions are email and other incoming messages. On average, professionals check their email or texts every six minutes, which amounts to 80 e-interruptions in an eight-hour day!
Distractions affect your performance for much longer than the few moments you take to acknowledge and respond to incoming messages. A Microsoft study found that it takes 15 minutes on average to refocus after an interruption. Furthermore, these disruptions have been shown to reduce attention spans, increase stress, and even reduce creativity. The cost to companies is enormous. Intel estimates that large companies lose about $1 billion per year because of email overload.
Protect Privacy and Confidentiality Be careful about not spreading—purposely or inadvertently—sensitive or confidential information. Because emails are so convenient to send, even the rare mistake in an address line can result in damaging professional consequences. Consider, for example, that eight out of ten marketing and advertising executives say they have made mistakes via email, such as sending job offers to the wrong people or revealing confidential salary information to the entire company.
Double-checking that you have placed the correct people in the address line before you hit the send button is a worthwhile habit that requires just a few extra moments.
Use Email for the Right Purposes Email is easy and convenient. Before quickly sending out an email, however, consider whether it is the best communication channel for your work purposes. Because emails are not rich—meaning lacking in virtually all verbal and nonverbal cues associated with face-to-face communication and lacking immediate feedback—they are best suited for routine, task-oriented, fact-based, and nonsensitive messages. Emails may be used to praise others but should rarely be used to criticize others.
Email communication has few constraints (low cost, little coordination) and high control (the writer can think them out carefully, and they provide a permanent record). Yet because it is not a rich form of communication, it is rarely appropriate for sensitive or emotional communication tasks. It is also less efficient than real-time conversations for making joint decisions.
-Avoid Sarcasm and Jokes in Most Cases While most people use IM playfully and with humor in their personal lives, trying to use sarcasm and jokes in the workplace is often misunderstood or misinterpreted.
Even colleagues who know one another well often misinterpret attempts at humor and sarcasm in instant messages.
True or false: In a business setting, emails will always get read, even if they are hard to read.
False Reason: Readers are unlikely to read a message that is not easy to read.
Defusing involves avoiding escalation and removing tension to focus on work objectives. You can take several steps to defuse the situation when you receive an uncivil email.
First, focus on task-related facts and issues in your reply. Second, focus on shared objectives and agreements. Third, express interest in arranging a time to meet in person. If this is not possible, attempt a richer channel of communication such as a phone call or an online video meeting. Defusing the situation with an immediate email is only part of the process in restoring or perhaps even strengthening a working relationship. A follow-up meeting is nearly always essential to renew cooperation on shared work efforts.
Two characteristics of asynchronous electronic communications can lead to feelings of anger and frustration more so than in face-to-face communications. 1
First, people often feel comfortable writing things they would not say in person. This level of directness is often perceived as rudeness by others.
Schedule and Plan for Your Phone Calls Like other forms of business communication, think ahead about your key discussion topics and points. Many phone conversations are much like meetings, so consider sending an invitation with an agenda to your conversation partner.
For less formal conversations, at least plan your purpose and major points to cover. Out of respect for your conversation partners' time, let them know roughly how long the call will take.
-Use IM for Simple and Brief Conversations, Not for Important Decisions IMs are best used for short, uncomplicated messages and conversations. If there's any level of complexity or ambiguity, you're better off speaking to others directly or sending an email where you have more space for detailed information.
Generally, if the exchange requires more than three or four instant messages, you should probably use an email or make a call.
Maintain Professionalism and Appropriate Formality Email communication is typically considered fairly formal. Many business professionals are particularly sensitive to "sloppy" email. Unfortunately, because so many more people can potentially see an email than would ever see a hard copy of a message, having high standards is even more important. In the past few years, a preference has emerged for less formal, stuffy writing. Still, you'll want to achieve a balance between formality and the friendliness associated with casual writing.
Generally, you are better off erring on the side of too much formality as opposed to too much casualness. Consider the following recommendations. -Avoid Indications That You View Email as Casual Communication -Apply the Same Standards of Spelling, Punctuation, and Formatting You Would for Other Written Documents -Use Greetings and Names
Show Respect for Others' Time Because email communication is so convenient, some people overuse and even abuse it. With business professionals sending and receiving hundreds of emails each week, they often experience information overload and email fatigue. Every time you write an email, you might want to envision your colleagues and clients who are receiving them.
Imagine their time pressures and the line of emails awaiting their response. Assume they will likely have low tolerance for poorly written, sloppy, unclear emails. In the business world, where time pressures can be overwhelming, you can engender goodwill by writing emails that are professional, relevant, easy to read, and other-oriented. To show your respect for others when sending email, consider the following advice. -Select Message Recipients Carefully -Provide Timelines and Options -Be Careful about Using the Priority Flag -Let Others Know When You Will Take Longer Than Anticipated to Respond or Take Action -Avoid Contributing to Confusing and Repetitive Email Chains
Richness involves two considerations: the level of immediacy and the number of cues available.
Immediacy relates to how quickly someone is able to respond and give feedback. In high-immediacy communication, people have immediate access to a variety of cues, including social cues (turn-taking), verbal cues (tone of voice), and nonverbal cues (gestures, facial expressions). Generally, face-to-face communication is considered the richest, since each person involved can get immediate verbal and nonverbal feedback. Richer communication typically leads to more trust-building, rapport, and commitment. It is generally the most efficient way to accomplish communication objectives quickly and is less likely to lead to misunderstandings.
Apply the Same Standards of Spelling, Punctuation, and Formatting You Would for Other Written Documents Carefully review your message for typos, spelling, punctuation, or grammatical problems before sending it. For important messages, consider first composing with word processing software. This will help you apply a higher level of seriousness.
In addition, you'll be able to use spell-check and grammar-check features that are more reliable than those within email systems. Finally, you can ensure that you do not inadvertently send the message without making sure it is polished and complete.
Be Careful about Using the Priority Flag You will routinely make requests of others that are time-sensitive. If you too often set the priority flag on such emails, your colleagues may become annoyed, perceiving you as pushy.
In fact, some business professionals are more likely to ignore emails when the priority flag is set. If you need something urgently, mention it politely in the subject line or use a rich communication channel such as a phone call to gain buy-in.
Clearly Identify Expected Actions Most emails are intended to spur action. Effective emails contain specific and clear requests so that recipients know exactly how to respond.
In many cases, you can place these directions in the subject line for greatest clarity.
Instant Messaging in the Workplace Instant messaging (IM) or texting are among the most popular features on mobile phones. American adults IM on their phones more frequently than they access the Internet, send or receive email, or participate in video chats. Instant messaging is ideal for short and simple business messages that contain announcements, questions, confirmations of plans, quick tips, support, and congratulations. Most business professionals consider IM a less formal communication channel than email.
Instant messaging is a relatively new and undeveloped form of communication in the workplace, and attitudes toward it vary significantly. Many professionals consider IM impersonal, uninteresting, rude, intrusive, or inadequate. On the other hand, many professionals associate IM in the workplace with exactly the opposite qualities: warm and personal, nice, less intrusive than calls, fun, inviting, and helpful.
Building Connections with Phone Conversations Compared to less rich channels such as email, phone calls generally allow business professionals to connect more deeply, resolve problems more quickly, make important decisions better, and manage conflict more effectively. In the past decade, mobile phones have transformed business communication. Most business professionals carry at least one phone at all times for calls, texting, Internet use, scheduling, and much more. In many ways, mobile phones increasingly serve as a communication center for many managers and executives.
Ironically, the increased use of mobile phones in people's personal lives has actually led to a downward trend in calls. In fact, making calls is just the fifth most used function of smartphone users on their phones. However, business professionals continue to use landline and mobile calls extensively. For most business professionals, less calling translates into lost opportunities. Refining the art and skills of phone calls can help you become a more dynamic and savvy communicator. Keep in mind the following guidelines for one-to-one calls in the workplace.
Provide a Descriptive Signature Block Signature blocks should provide clear contact information. This allows recipients to easily contact you through richer communication channels if needed.
It also enhances your professional image.
Your ability to defuse uncivil electronic communications during your career will pay off in many ways:
It will help your colleagues and teams stay on task and perform better; it will help you develop a reputation for constructively resolving differences; and it will lead to more satisfying work experiences. The ability to defuse such situations requires high emotional intelligence, especially in self-awareness and self-management.
As a message sender, grant the benefit of the doubt to your recipients when responses take longer than you expected. Instead of getting frustrated, consider giving them a phone call.
Keep in mind that they may have different expectations about a reasonable time frame to respond to your email. If they routinely take longer than you expect, politely mention that you would appreciate quicker responses.
Use Your Webcam Effectively The power of group video calls is the ability to have rich conversations full of nonverbal cues. You lose this advantage unless you carefully position your webcam so you are speaking directly to your listeners.
Make sure that you've got good lighting and a clean background. Also, maintain direct eye contact with your webcam as much as possible so that other meeting participants can see your interest level and understand your nonverbal cues.
Apply the Rules of Active Listening and Avoid Multitasking Enter a phone call eager to learn about the ideas of your conversation partner and ready to express your views as well. Amazingly, roughly six in ten professionals admit to multitasking during phone calls.
Make sure the call is your entire focus. Also, make sure you don't sound rushed—this often sends a signal that you're more interested in other people or matters.
-Avoid Rescheduling Meeting Times or Places Instant messaging is often a convenient way of confirming meeting plans, especially those that involve offsite locations. It's also a convenient way of saying you're running a few minutes late. While slightly changing meeting plans via IM is handy in rare cases, avoid doing so unless absolutely necessary.
Many professionals have gained reputations as not being reliable because they frequently adjust meeting times and locations at the last minute via IM. In situations where you must change plans, consider placing a call as a show of courtesy and as a way of efficiently and clearly adjusting plans.
After Brief Small Talk, Direct the Conversation to the Issues at Hand Most callers appreciate a few light comments to start a conversation, but be careful not to let this initial small talk drag on.
Most effective business calls get to the issues at hand within one to two minutes.
-Make Sure Your Tone Is Positive, Supportive, and Appropriately Fun You should reserve most messaging for straightforward, positive messages. IM can be a particularly effective way to send quick notes of support, congratulations, and appreciation to close colleagues. Messaging is also a chance to use a light and fun tone when you're sure that's a style that message recipients will appreciate.
One risk of IM is that with a focus on conciseness, IM messages may come across as commanding, abrupt, or unfeeling. Similarly, an excessively casual tone may diminish the perceived importance of your message. In nearly all cases, avoid using IM for bad or unpleasant news.
Use Greetings and Names 1 Although not technically required, consider using short greetings and the names of your message recipients. As one of Dale Carnegie's most famous pieces of networking advice goes, "A person's name is to that person the sweetest most important sound in any language." This advice applies to most communication situations, including emails.
People leave out names in emails for several reasons. Some professionals view the use of greetings and names as excessively formal, resembling letters. Other professionals view emails as the equivalent of memos. In fact, the layout of most emails—with a recipient line, sender line, and subject line—resembles memos. Traditionally, the format for memos calls for omitting a personal greeting and name.
Control refers to the degree to which communications can be planned and recorded, thus allowing strategic message development.
Planning implies that the communication can be tightly drafted, edited and revised, rehearsed, and otherwise strategically developed before delivery. Permanence refers to the extent to which the message can be stored, retrieved, and distributed to others. Control may be your primary concern for many important communications.
Ensure Ease of Reading In all written communication, ensuring ease of reading is critical. It is even more critical in emails and other digital messages. Simply put, your readers are unlikely to read your message unless you make it easy for them. Think about how quickly a reader can process the information. Also, use the following tips to ensure ease of reading in your emails.
Provide a Short, Descriptive Subject Line Keep Your Message Brief Yet Complete Clearly Identify Expected Actions Provide a Descriptive Signature Block Use Attachments Wisely
Share Conversation Time Equally Phone calls are a great opportunity to deepen relationships and get work done when each person shares conversation time equally. Make sure you're not dominating a conversation by taking up more than your fair share of speaking time.
Similarly, if your conversation partner is taking too much of the time, politely interject now and then to balance the speaking time.
Close with Appreciation In nearly all calls, you should find a way to express appreciation to your conversation partner.
Simple phrases such as "thanks for taking the time to . . ." or "it has been great to get your ideas about . . ." can end the call on a warm note and pave the way for easier follow-up.
-Identify Yourself Other than for people you text or IM often, you can't be certain whether you're part of your message recipients' address lists.
Simply stating your name ("Hi. This is Jaclyn . . .") will help avoid confusion in many cases.
-Establish Rules with Your Colleagues for Instant Messaging in Meetings Instant messaging is increasingly common during meetings in some organizations. Texting can be used to prompt team members about topics to cover, give quick updates as needed to team leaders, ask for information from colleagues or clients outside of the meeting, and assist teammates in a variety of ways.
Some organizations' cultures encourage this, whereas others strictly discourage it. So, pay attention to the culture of texting at your company. Of course, even where texting is encouraged in meetings, it can also be abused. In any case, discuss with your teammates what you consider appropriate in meetings. Similarly, use the messaging app or platform that is recommended and supported by your organization.
Spoken Communication
Spoken communication can range from low to high depending on a number of factors. For example, speaking to a colleague in the next office might require little scheduling (coordination) and few additional monetary and time resources. However, if colleagues are dispersed in various offices separated by time zones, scheduling could be challenging, and the company and the employees might invest a great deal of money and time on travel and related expenses to facilitate rich face-to-face conversation.
Communication channels can be divided between the spoken and the written.
Spoken messages in the workplace are generally high in richness but low in control. In other words, when people speak to one another face-to-face, they get immediate verbal and nonverbal feedback and respond accordingly. This leads to rapid understanding and bonding. However, they cannot prepare a set message (low planning) or keep a permanent record that can be reviewed and distributed to others (low permanence).
Strategically Selecting Channels for Communication You have so many useful communication tools and technologies for getting in touch with your colleagues, your customers, and other contacts. Having so many options, however, also presents dilemmas about selecting an appropriate communication channel—the medium through which a message is transmitted. Examples of communication channels include emails, phone conversations, and face-to-face dialogue. Each communication channel has strengths and drawbacks, the topic we explore in this section.
Strategically selecting a communication channel means that you choose the one that is best able to meet your work objectives. Sometimes a quick phone call or text message is the most efficient way to figure out a meeting time. Other times you will need a face-to-face meeting to clarify misunderstandings about projects. In many of your working relationships, you'll use many communication channels—email, social media, calls, face-to-face conversations—on a daily or weekly basis. Strategically choosing a communication channel involves three basic considerations related to their limitations: richness, control, and constraints.
The distinctions between spoken and written business messages mirror the relative benefits and weaknesses of synchronous and asynchronous communications. Most successful working relationships depend on both synchronous and asynchronous communication.
Synchronous communication occurs in real time; the individuals involved give immediate responses to one another and engage in turn-taking. Asynchronous communication does not occur in real time. Individuals involved in such communication can pay attention to and respond to communications at a time of their choosing.
Why are coordination and resources called constraints on business communications?
They place limitations on communication.
Use Greetings and Names 2 In a study about morale within organizations, a communication researcher was given access to the emails in two organizations. One was a low-morale organization and one was a high-morale organization. She found that the presence or absence of greetings and names at the beginning of emails was a strong indicator of company climate. In the low-morale organization, just 20 percent of the emails contained greetings, and just 36 percent contained names. By contrast, in the high-morale organization, 58 percent contained greetings, and 78 percent contained names. The same trend was shown in closings. In the low-morale organization, just 23 percent of the emails contained a polite closing and a name compared to 73 percent in the high-morale organization.
The conventions of using greetings and names are sometimes dropped as an email chain emerges and functions much like a conversation. Typically, professionals with blue and hub MVSs (those with the strongest people-orientation) show a stronger preference for greetings and names. If you're having an ongoing email exchange with a blue or a hub and you notice that he or she is using a formal greeting in each email, consider reciprocating. On the other hand, if you're a blue or a hub and like to see greetings and names in every email but your colleagues are not doing so, avoid getting hung up on it. Assume that they view emails much like memos or that they view excessive use of greetings and names in back-and-forth email chains as repetitive and unnecessary.
In the absence of face-to-face communications, emails tend to elicit either the neutrality effect or the negativity effect.
The neutrality effectmeans that recipients are more likely to perceive messages with an intended positive emotion as neutral. That is, the sender may wish to express enthusiasm about an event, but the receiver decodes the information without "hearing" the enthusiasm. The negativity effectmeans that recipients are more likely to perceive messages that are intended as neutral as negative. The effects of emotional inaccuracy due to the neutrality and negativity effects can lead to conflict escalation, confusion, and anxiety. Expert business communicators remain aware of these tendencies.
Avoid Contributing to Confusing and Repetitive Email Chains 2 Many business professionals use the copy feature liberally to let everyone in a department or work unit in on the conversation. Of course, one of your goals is transparency, allowing others in your relevant work group to know how decisions are being made. But copying too many people can lead to information overload. Furthermore, copying too many people on an email can dilute responsibility. When five or six people receive an email about accomplishing a specific task, uncertainty may arise about exactly who is supposed to do what. The more people you copy, the less likely you will get a response. Also, some people perceive copying a direct supervisor or boss on emails between peers as a subtle power play.
The reply to all feature can contribute to confusing email chains in many of the same ways as the forward and copy features. In an email conversation of more than four or five people, various message recipients can lose track of the sequence of messages or miss some messages altogether. Reply email chains become especially confusing when some colleagues are using just the reply feature whereas others are using the reply to all feature. One advantage of team messaging platforms is that they remove some of the inefficiencies and confusion of email chains by placing messages and shared content in a central location rather than in various, separate email boxes.
Two characteristics of asynchronous electronic communications can lead to feelings of anger and frustration more so than in face-to-face communications. 2
The second aspect of asynchronous electronic communications that can lead to anger and frustration is cyber silence, which is nonresponse to emails and other communications. During the nonresponse stage, message senders often misattribute explanations for the silence. They sometimes wonder if message recipients are purposely avoiding or even ignoring them. As the length of time between messages increases, they often experience more frustration and anger.
Follow the Guidelines of Effective Virtual Meetings
The tried-and-true practices of using an agenda, getting each participant involved, and following up with minutes and action items are essential.
Speak with a Pleasant, Enthusiastic Voice Although others cannot see you, your nonverbal behaviors are often reflected in your voice. Consider sitting up straight or standing up, breathing deeply, intonating clearly, gesturing, and even smiling as you would if you were in person.
These nonverbal actions will often carry through in a pleasant, professional voice and help you avoid a monotone. From time to time, consider listening to your recorded voice to pick up on ways in which you can speak more professionally and energetically.
Use Interactive Tools Wisely Most videoconference platforms have many options to make meetings interactive, including screen sharing, polling, online chat, and other features.
These tools are excellent when used with purpose. Be careful, however, not to use the tools simply for the sake of being interactive.
Keep Your Message Brief Yet Complete Get to the point within three or four sentences, and keep your paragraphs about half the size of those in business documents—ideally 30 to 50 words long. Consider placing the most critical information at the beginning so readers gather the most relevant information immediately.
This is an important strategy because most people are so inundated with messages that they often pay more attention to the beginning, skimming or skipping latter portions. This is especially important as business professionals increasingly use mobile devices.
Avoid Contributing to Confusing and Repetitive Email Chains 1 Email chains are groups of emails that are sent back and forth among a group of people. As the number of messages and people involved in an email chain increases, confusion can build.
Three features contribute to email chains: forward, copy, and reply to all. The forward feature allows you to send any message you receive to others with the click of the mouse. As always, make sure that those you are forwarding the message to need to see the email. Also, consider whether the original sender would consider it appropriate for you to forward the email to others; after all, he or she did not place those people on the original email. Similarly, many business professionals consider use of the blind carbon copy feature a breach of privacy. Furthermore, the ease of forwarding and copying can create other problems. Once you send an email, you have no control over whether others will forward it, and to whom, which leads to a good standard articulated by Tony DiRomualdo, strategy and IT researcher: "Don't say anything you would not want the entire planet to read at some point."
Start the Call with Purpose and Take Charge Many professionals make a judgment within the first few minutes about the importance of the call.
Unless you get people interested and engaged quickly, many participants will tune out and start multitasking.
-Be Careful about Abbreviated Language, Emoticons, Acronyms, and Emoji Abbreviated language, acronyms, emoticons, and emoji are some of the fun features of instant messaging.
Until you know the IM style of others in the workplace, you should err on the side of complete sentences and standard language conventions.
Practice Using the Technology before the Group Call There are many options for group voice and video calls. Even if you often participate in or even lead these calls, you may not be up to date with various platforms or new tools. If you're leading the call, send out information about the technology to participants so they can be prepared.
When the first five to ten minutes of group calls are consumed by participants trying to figure out the technology, the meetings rarely turn out productive or engaging.
Let Others Know When You Will Take Longer Than Anticipated to Respond or Take Action If you can't respond to a request made in an email, reply immediately and explain how soon you can respond in full. You might use phrases such as "I will respond to your email by next Tuesday," or "I can take care of this by the end of next week."
When you make your commitment, make sure to place the task on your calendar so you follow through.
Provide a Short, Descriptive Subject Line Message recipients make immediate judgments about the importance of a message based on the subject line. If it is not clear and compelling, recipients may not open the message right away. Furthermore, when business professionals search for prior email messages, they often scan the subject lines in their in-boxes.
Without a descriptive subject line, they may miss the message. Good subject lines are generally 5 to 10 words long. By contrast, poor subjects are either too short (1 or 2 words) and thus nondescriptive or too long (12 words or longer) and thus difficult to process. Fundamentally, subject lines frame your entire message; they serve the same role that headlines do in newspapers and magazines.
Creating Effective Emails Email communication is the primary form of written business communication. Most business professionals spend between 20 and 50 percent of their time reading and writing email . Most analysts expect email to be the primary tool for at least the next five years in most companies. Many forward-thinking companies also encourage employees to use internal digital platforms for communication; however, even in companies that adopt these platforms, employees will continue to use private electronic messages within these platforms, which function nearly identically to emails. Furthermore, many of your colleagues, clients, and other contacts will likely prefer to use email systems for many years to come
Writing effective emails involves applying the principles of writing style that we discussed in Chapters 5 and 6. It also involves adapting to the unique characteristics of email. In this section, we explain basic principles for using emails effectively, including the basic components that ensure ease of reading. Then, we focus on managing emotion and maintaining civility in electronic communications.
Written communication
Written messages in the workplace are generally low in richness since they typically do not allow immediate feedback and lack a variety of social, verbal, and nonverbal cues. Yet, they present a number of benefits. Individuals can carefully craft messages at their own pace and on their schedule (high in planning and low in coordination). Moreover, many business professionals consider writing to be conducive to deep thinking on business matters. Furthermore, writing creates a permanent record. Because written records are text-based, it is far easier to search and retrieve relevant information. Generally, the constraints (resources and coordination) of writing are quite low.
Manage Emotion and Maintain Civility Many managers cite the lack of emotion in emails as positive. They see email as a channel that allows the exchange of messages in minimal form—objective, task-based, and straightforward. As one manager explained, "With email I find myself answering without all the kindness necessary to keep people happy with their job."
Yet, avoiding emotion entirely, even for task-based messages, is nearly impossible. Business professionals often want to invoke some emotion—perhaps enthusiasm or a sense of urgency. Even when senders intend to convey a relatively nonemotional message, recipients may experience an emotional reaction.
Inevitably, you will be the target of what you consider uncivil electronic communications. In nearly all situations, your goal should be to avoid escalation.
You can take several steps to constructively address uncivil emails: reinterpretation, relaxation, and defusing.
Ensure Quality Audio Especially for important calls, you should test your audio quality before the call. Although mobile phones provide reliable audio quality in most locations, they're still less predictable than landline connections.
You might consider using landline calls whenever possible to enhance audio quality.
-Avoid Personal IM during Work Hours Increasingly, professionals bring their home lives into the workplace. This isn't surprising given the convenience of so many communication tools. Most workplaces have some policies about avoiding personal communications (including IM), although these policies are generally loosely enforced.
You'll notice that exercising discipline and avoiding personal digital messages will help you gain the respect of your colleagues and establish your professionalism.
Respond Promptly Most business professionals expect fast responses to emails. Of course, what seems like a quick response to one person seems like a delayed response to another. One recent study of business professionals found that most business professionals expect an email response within one to four hours.
Younger professionals are more likely to expect a response immediately. If you choose not to check your email more than four to five times a day (a strategy recommended later in the chapter), let others know how soon to expect replies.
The general name for the medium through which a message is transmitted is the
communication channel.
What term describes the effort and timing that it takes to get the correct people to participate in a communication
coordination
For the next few years, which of the following is expected to be the most commonly used tool for written business communication?
emails
Which of the following are examples of communication channels?
emails phone conversations face-to-face dialogue
How quickly someone responds and gives feedback is known as ______.
immediacy
In a business environment, senders should compose emails with which of the following qualities?
professional on point pertinent
Email is suitable for which of the following types of messages in business?
routine work information stating holiday work hours the sharing of facts
In business emails, subject lines reflect the ______ of the message.
significance
