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Think before you type: advice on working from home during coronavirus lockdown


By Louise Glen

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Opportunities for misinterpretation are increased when you're not communicating face to face.
Opportunities for misinterpretation are increased when you're not communicating face to face.

With more of us working remotely due to coronavirus our dependency on online communication is higher than ever – but what are the risks?

CPD Online, the UK’s leading provider of online training courses for the workplace, points out some of the main issues.

How are messages miscommunicated?

When working remotely, a variety of different forms of communication can be used. Although video conferencing is possible, these forms of communication will usually rely on written information. With this text based communication, the usual non-verbal forms of communication that we use are lost completely.

Things that will often be implied in verbal communication can be almost impossible to convey in text alone. When emails are sent or notes left on workflow software, the tone of what is said is down to the reader's interpretation. Miscommunication is then much more common than when a face-to-face discussion has occurred.

CPD Online crunched the numbers for workplace conflict and conducted a survey to see how often this miscommunication happens and how often it can lead to workplace conflict and violence.

This research has found that 62 per cent of Brits have fallen out with friends, family and colleagues due to misinterpreted emails and messages, with women more likely to fall foul to this.

  • 76 per cent of us have misinterpreted an email or instant message
  • Nearly three quarters of Brits believe that it’s far easier to misinterpret emails/instant messages than face-to-face communication
  • As we get older we’re less likely to have these issues, with less than half of over 55’s being involved in email related issues.

Clarity in messaging whilst working is vital as we work remotely

David Lee from CPD Online suggests the following to improve clarity: “It can be really easy to misinterpret an email or instant message, you’re receiving the message cold and can’t see the sender’s physical reactions or hear the inflection in their voice to understand the tone."

Mr Lee suggests some simple changes can help to prevent this:

  • Use short sentences and keep paragraphs short
  • Avoid jargon, slang and overcomplicated language
  • If it is a complex message, then talk it through over the phone or video call instead; you can then summarise over email
  • Don’t email or message in anger. Step away and come back to the message later in the day
  • Don’t say anything in text that you wouldn’t say to someone’s face
  • Avoid being rushed in your message – autocorrect can really change the message you’re sending if you don't check it back and the shortness of your quick response may be received negatively.”

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