The Nonverbal Cues that Matter in our Virtual World
Nonverbal communication is more than just the messages we send with our bodies. When I work with clients, I always start by asking what nonverbal communication means to them. Most of the time, the following things are shouted out:
Posture!
Gestures!
Eye contact!
Crossing your arms!
While these are all correct examples of nonverbal cues, nonverbal communication also includes things like, the way we dress and accessorize; our hairstyle; whether we wear make-up or not. Aspects of vocal variety: tonality, speed of speech, pauses, volume and so forth are also important nonverbal cues.
When I run my bi-weekly Virtual Presence workshops, we spend time going over how we can show up to ensure our nonverbal cues are aligned with our intention. Trust me, there is A LOT that is communicated nonverbally through video. A LOT.
While it isn’t too far a stretch of the imagination to see how these cues can be important on video calls, what about emails? Since a vast majority of our communication in the workplace is through email or text, what are the nonverbals there?
Nonverbal Cues in Email and Text
This might seem like a non-starter. But how many times have you received an email that didn’t sit well with you? Either you felt put down, dismissed, perhaps you feel the sender doesn’t have time for you, that they are impatient. Are they putting these things into explicit words? Likely not.
Oftentimes in cases when we receive an irksome email, it’s not the content itself that is the issue. It’s the tone and the punctuation. It can also be framing, word choice, sentence structure and formatting.
All of these elements fall into the category of nonverbal communication because none of them actually have to do with the ‘words’ themselves. Here is a simple example:
“Thank you.”
Lands differently than:
“Thank you!”
Punctuation is, in essence, the nonverbal flair that dresses a word up or down.
The way we write emails matters.
The same goes with texts. As soon as someone places a ‘period’ at the end of a short text, I start to wonder if they are upset or angry with me. Turns out they are at work where brevity rules the day and their texting cadence changes.
What you can do
When sending an email, we want to make sure that every aspect of that email, from the content to the design, aligns with the message we intend to send. It can be easy to fire off an email without putting care into the way the content is delivered.
In our current world of increased virtual connection, it behooves us to be even more intentional with the way we construct and design our emails. Take that extra moment to think how the email will land with the audience. Being known for articulate emails that are clear and to the point, but not rude and short handed, is a solid reputation to hold.
I encourage you to sign up for one of my bi-weekly virtual presence workshops. They are interactive and your video calls will never be the same again!