Have
you ever sent an e-mail, and found it was totally misinterpreted? The
reason may have been that when you speak, your tone of voice conveys
emotion, sarcasm, and interest (or lack of it). When you write, you
choose a formal or an informal tone, active or passive voice, and assume
your reader knows how you feel.
This
can be easily misinterpreted. A formal note can seem to the reader like
the writer has no interest. An informal note, meant to be sarcastic,
can be interpreted literally.
The
right choice of vocabulary can show your level of emotion and
enthusiasm. Instead of saying you are looking forward to meeting the
other person, try adding "eagerly" looking forward to meeting him. Add
other powerful words as appropriate. Avoid sarcasm in a short note or
text.
The
true test of a well-written note is that it conveys the message you
want, with the appropriate tone included. Is it to be formal,
boring-but-have-to-write-something, or warm and caring?
In
verbal and non-verbal communication, we also work to convey the proper
attitude, whether eager, respectful but casual, formal, etc. Our tone
of voice, use of slang, and choice of vocabulary can make or break this
attitude.
Non-verbally,
we use eye contact, giving full or distracted attention, and
positioning (such as facing the other person directly or at a side
angle) to also convey our attitude.
An example of this going wrong at work is when a manager uses a computer to answer routine e-mails during an appointment with an employee, telling the employee, "I can multi-task." The employee may feel the manager doesn't care about the appointment or the employee, due to his lack of full attention and eye contact.
Business Speech Improvement provides individual and small group coaching on communication skills. Visit us online!
