instance ,
anecdotal evidence suggests that women ,
particularly Black women , are often perceived as “ unfriendly ” if they don ’ t use exclamation points . ( But if they use too many , it ’ s also a problem .) Gordon , who is White , admits that she struggles with these considerations herself . “ When I send emails , I sometimes go back and take out an exclamation point or two … I try to take it down a notch ,” she says .
She notes , too , that
punctuation , emojis , and tone are often entangled with power dynamics . “ The use of these things indicates something about your relationship with the other person ,” she says . Emails from students , for instance , tend to display a lot of deference (“ Dear Professor ”) and
hedging language ( softeners like “ should ,” “ would ,” or “ might ”).
The onus is on companies and leaders For the sake of clarity , sometimes it ’ s worth putting these unwritten rules in , well , writing .
“ In the ‘ real world ,’ we often don ’ t have to [ explicitly state ] the rules ,” says Gordon . “ But the truth is , with social media , Slack , and email , sometimes meta-communicating — communicating about communicating — is necessary .” What this looks like , from outlining best practices in an employee handbook to pinning guidelines to the top of a Slack channel , varies from company to company .
That said , a company-wide communication policy often softens or evolves when it comes down to the team level or one-on-one interactions . In these cases , team leaders may set the tone . “ Many people who are low-ranking in an office might err on the side of formality , and follow the lead their [ superior ] sets ,” says Gordon .
In Digital Body Language , Dhawan suggests that in professional communications , people should pause — frequently — and ponder the possible ways their phrasing , or even use of a particular punctuation mark , might be misconstrued .
Employee training for digital body language can help break down silos and build trust , writes Dhawan . “[ That ], in turn , will lead to enormous efficiencies , as people will spend less time wondering about that period or ( lack of ) exclamation marks .” Flexibility , adaptability , and a willingness to engage in continuous learning are key .
After all , today it may be Slack and Zoom , but tomorrow , we may be “ kk-ing ” in the
metaverse .
Work-Safe “ Reacjis ”
“ I got it .”
“ Sorry I missed that .”
“ This is the best .”
“ I ’ ve seen this and I ’ ll work on it .”
“ Thank you so much .”
“ Exactly !”
“ I love this .”
“ Well done ” or “ Great job .”
“ I agree with you .”
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