LONDON (Parliament Politics Magazine): Digital is the new normal and that also applies to professional communication. What are the etiquette rules and how do we keep it businesslike and efficient?
Digital boost
Due to the Corona crisis, digital communication has received a serious boost: we chat, email and meet online not only privately but also professionally. These basic digital rules of thumb will help you communicate like a pro.
To chat
- Pay close attention to the spellings and do not blindly rely on the spelling corrector or word suggestions: this will prevent avoidable blunders and unprofessional errors.
- Adjust your tone of voice .
- Only send your message to the person who needs to receive the message.
- Be careful with emojis and avoid stickers and GIFs: nice in private but unprofessional in a professional environment.
- Make your message short and sweet and bundle everything in one chat: too many different messages come across as confusing and chaotic.
- A quick reply is often expected on a chat message. Are you short on time or is it not convenient? Then reply briefly and let them know that your real reply will come later.
- Do you have a lot to say or ask? Please consider emailing.
- Spend enough time preparing your mail and use bullets to create structure: nobody benefits from an endless block of text.
- Think of a good title for your subject line that briefly summarises what your email is about.
- Address the recipient with a personal greeting. No one is called “Dear”.
- Are there multiple recipients? Then think carefully about who should be in cc.
- Want to reply to a group email? Then consider whether you want to send your answer to the sender or to the entire group.
- Do you want to send an attachment? Before sending the e-mail, check whether your attachment has actually been added: an “Oops, forgot attachment!” Sending and receiving follow-up emails is annoying.
Online meetings
- Take care of yourself and dress neatly, even if it’s just your top.
- Think of the space behind you: a cluttered background gives a cluttered impression. Tip: Set a neutral, virtual background.
- Also, make sure you have a quiet location: too much background noise can disrupt the conversation.
- Try not to type during the meeting, often the internal microphone of your laptop or PC is very close to your noisy keyboard. If necessary, take notes with pen and paper, just like in the past.
- Speak loud and clear. Preferably use a headset.
- Do you want to take an urgent sanitary break during your online meeting? Report this to the others in a professional way, just walking away is not done.
