We can’t read your tone
Have you ever found yourself reading an email and thinking, “I don’t like the tone of this.”?
Guilty as charged.
I have to remind myself, it’s impossible to “read” tone…
Unless tone is heard, it can only be imagined.
Email can be effective, and it can’t do everything.
It’s meant for information, not conversation.
The cause of most workplace miscommunication is not the message…it’s the medium.
Information can be transferred using words only.
Conversation requires tone and gestures to accompany the words selected.
Let’s unpack this:
Choose an information tool like email or text when your message is concrete and doesn't evoke questions or emotions that need to be navigated in real-time:
Setup and confirm meetings
Review agendas
Summarize takeaways and action steps
Provide updates
Outline logistics
Choose a conversation tool like phone, Zoom or a good old fashioned face-to-face meeting when your message is conceptual and evokes questions or emotions that deserve to be navigated in real-time:
Explore ideas
Gain buy-in
Share opinions
Engage in brainstorming
Give/receive feedback or coaching
Make important announcements
It's easy to get trapped in blaming email for not accomplishing what it was never intended to do.
Effective communication starts by selecting the right tool.