A Simple Way To Reduce Your Stress
October 10, 2007 by Dr. Steve Bedwell
Filed under Emotional Intelligence
During my keynote I ask the question: “Think back to the last time you had an unexpectedly long wait before someone returned a phone call. In which direction did your interpretation of the delay naturally tend to go; positive or negative?” This question is always met with a chorus of “Negative”.
According to Syracuse professor Kristin Byron one situation in which we are likely to “assume the worst” is in our interpretation of emails. In her paper ‘Carrying Too Heavy A Load’ (due to appear in the ‘Academy of Management Review’) she points out that “people perceive emails as more negative than they are intended to be”. This leads to misinterpretation, confusion and conflict.
What’s the solution?
The Solution
Before hitting the send button, remind yourself that people tend to perceive your emails as more negative than you intend them to be. Other tips to avoid misunderstanding and unnecessary conflict include:
- Adding a greeting and closing: “thanks for your help,” etc, into your email templates. No extra ongoing effort for you but, by appearing less abrupt, your message is more likely to be positively received.
- DON’T SEND OUT MESSAGES WHERE EVERY WORD IS CAPITALIZED. This is interpreted as shouting in email land.
- Consider using emoticons
- If your message might be prone to misinterpretation consider calling or even meeting face-to-face.
Once you’re aware of the problem, it’s a simple fix. Even if people know that you’re a warm and friendly person, it’s never going to hurt to put a little more love into your messages.
Until next time,
Steve
