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4 tips to address digital miscommunication

2020-03-27T14:33:00-04:00

When interacting virtually, miscommunication can run rampant. So much of our interpersonal interactions as humans are non-verbal. Communicating via Slack or digital chat completely takes that out. Not only do these method take out body language, but also verbal and tonal aspects. Authors of the book No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work, Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy offer important insights in a recent essay on how to avoid digital miscommunications during this rise in virtual collaboration. Here are five of those strategies:

Add Emojis

"Emojis can help us express tone, meaning, and emotional cues," the pair write. A colleague can add a teasing smiley emoji when he says "get those drawings done asap!" in Slack, and the vibe is totally different than if the emoji was absent. However, Fosslien and Duffy recommended getting to know a person before introducing emojis, stating it's better to leave them out in early digital interactions.

Emotionally proof...

Complexity over clarity? What happens when we try to sound too "smart"

2019-11-21T15:05:00-05:00

Earlier this week, I was reading a brief for an exhibition at a well-known school of architecture and something stood out to me, something that seems to be a typical case in academic circles. I read this prompt, which was probably about 500 words. At the end, I had no idea what the exhibition was about. I read it a couple more times and finally got a general sense of what they were trying to say.

The primary premise of the event could have been communicated in a clearer way, but because of the obscure word choice, bizarre passages, and melodramatic jargon, the purpose of this writing, which was to communicate the intent of the exhibition, became overwhelmingly lost.

Feynman, Einstein, and Occam's Razor

Once, David Goodstein, a colleague of the theoretical physicist Richard Feynman, said to the Nobel Prize recipient, "Dick, explain to me, so that I can understand it, why spin one-half particles obey Fermi-Dirac statistics." Feynman looked at Goodstein and said, "I'll prepare a fresh...

Networking tip: Small talk

2019-10-21T14:15:00-04:00

Small talk is a dreaded practice for many professionals. It's often forced, and the parties involved participate out of obligation as opposed to genuine interest. Naturally, there are those of us who don't mind it, we actually enjoy it. Instead of hysterically pressing the close door button in the elevator, we hold the door, and seemlessly start a little small talk.

But, there are those of us who, on our way to get coffee, turn around and go back to our desks if we see someone else in the break room. I can wait, we think, I want to get my coffee in peace. We put on our headphones to signal we are busy and avoid eye contact with our talkative peers.

It's easier to pull this off during the work day, even at lunch, we can continue our avoidance, but in social settings we aren't so fortunate. What about Beer Fridays? Holiday parties? Networking events? Even meetings? Will our anti-social tendencies serve us well in these settings? It's not always the best idea to alienate ourselves f...

Don't send that heated email

2019-10-14T17:45:00-04:00

Abraham Lincoln's Disappointment

In the summer of 1863 after three days of brutal warfare, the Battle of Gettysburg culminated with the retreat of Robert E. Lee's army, something, that at the time, President Lincoln was not happy about. While the battle was seen as a triumph for the Union Army, Lincoln saw an important missed opportunity. So much so, that he prepared a letter to General George Meade. In an excerpt from the letter, Lincoln writes:

"Again, my dear general, I do not believe you appreciate the magnitude of the misfortune involved in Lee's escape. He was within your easy grasp, and to have closed upon him would, in connection with our other late successes, have ended the war. As it is, the war will be prolonged indefinitely."

He goes on:

"Your golden opportunity is gone, and I am distressed immeasurably because of it."

Lincoln wasn't happy and he wanted to be sure his General knew about it.

The Snap Response in Architecture

We've all been in a situation where a coworker,...

New York 'Tunnel' to London

2008-05-26T10:05:00-04:00

At the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, people are communicating directly with people on London's South Bank.

The two 'Telectroscopes' are the creation of artist, Paul St George using a fibre optic link up between the two cities. BBC