Communication is one of the key roles of a manager outlined by Henri Fayol in his classic work on the key functions of management. This is a hard enough task at the best of times, but can be especially difficult when working with remote or hybrid teams in which a lot of the communication is done virtually.
It’s well known, for instance, that virtual communication often lacks the nuances of in-person communication, as we can’t effectively communicate using tone of voice and body language. Overcoming these shortcomings is far from straightforward, however. For instance, research from Tel Aviv University’s Coller School of Management found that using emoticons can diminish the signals of power we give to colleagues.
Effective communication
Research from Georgia State University reminds us that email, even without the use of emoticons, is not really any better. Email is quick and reliable, but unlike in-person conversations, it can’t convey facial expressions and body language.
Even a phone call includes vocal cues and tone of voice, which emails lack, making them easy to misinterpret. This often causes emails to seem more negative than intended. Recipients may get upset, while senders remain unaware of the miscommunication.
“The worst offenders are people who are absolutely convinced they cannot get it wrong,” the researchers explain. “We really overestimate the extent to which emails can convey emotion, and there are predictable ways in which we can get them wrong.”
Displaying emotions
The author looked at how email communication can convey both intentional and unintentional content. They explain that the lack of cues in an email makes misunderstandings common, especially when trying to communicate emotional content.
They explain, however, that while communicating emotions is difficult via email, we shouldn’t assume that nonverbal cues are entirely absent. For instance, it’s widely accepted that using all caps means we’re shouting. Emoticons can also help to convey nonverbal cues, but as explained previously, they’re far from risk free.
“However, despite the availability of some nonverbal cues, research indicates that their purposeful use remains infrequent,” the author explains. “Further, many authors of articles on ‘netiquette’—etiquette related to Internet use—advise employees to use sparingly, or not at all, cues, such as emoticons, in work-related emails because their use may appear too casual and unprofessional.”
Spreading misunderstanding
When emails are unclear, recipients often feel confused or threatened. The author quoted an MBA student who received an upsetting email from her boss: “I can never tell how my manager feels. When organizing a meeting, I got a sarcastic reply (‘This had better be good’) that I took to heart.” Later, she learned the manager meant it as a joke.
Positive emails are often seen as flat rather than upbeat. For example, a colleague was disappointed by an email the department chair sent about an award she had won from a foundation. Although he likely intended to convey positive emotion, she perceived the email as neutral, leaving her disappointed by his “lack of enthusiasm” and wondering if her award was valued by the school.
Similarly, another participant reported receiving an email from their manager that was addressed to all employees regarding sales targets. The respondent interpreted the manager as angry with their individual performance, which was confusing as they had exceeded their personal quota.
The paper also reminds us that the demographics of the person sending the email are also important. The study found that younger emailers were more likely to view emails as negative than an older emailer. Similarly, older emailers also tend to write longer messages than their younger colleagues.
Similarly, the relationship between both parties is also important, as when there is a strong understanding between sender and recipient, there is much less likelihood that the message will be misinterpreted.
Better communication
So what can managers do to ensure that email communication is effective? As with most things, the first thing is to raise awareness of the potential for email communication to foster misunderstanding. Too often we’re extremely confident that our message is coming across loud and clear.
Another useful concept is to make it okay and acceptable for people to ask questions if they’re not sure quite what an email means, whether in terms of its content or even its tone. The idea should be to encourage understanding as much as possible.
The flip side of this is to not assume that you know what the tone of an email is. If it appears somewhat abrupt or angry, try to find out if that’s really the case rather than jumping to conclusions and taking offense.
Last, but by no means least, make use of the many words available to convey emotion. We can often rely on emoticons as a crutch to display how we feel, but there are usually plenty of words available in our chosen language to do the same job. Make use of them.
