Imagine trying to drive somewhere using only 7% of your car. Ninety-three percent (93%) is unavailable to you including the engine, the wheels, etc. Crazy.
Now apply those same constraints to email and text-based communication.
Huh?
The Three V’s of Communication
by Dawn Groves
According to UCLA Professor Emeritus and communications researcher Dr. Albert Mehrabian, words convey only 7 % of what you’re trying to say. The rest comes from the tone of your voice and the body language you use.
- Verbal 7% (Words)
- Voice 38% (Tone, volume)
- Visual 55% (Body language, gestures, facial expressions)
Based on the above percentages, 93% of what you say is communicated by factors outside of the words you choose.
Prove it with a mirror. Look in a mirror and say “Stop” three times. In each instance use a different vocal tone, volume, and facial expression. Then look away from your reflection and cover your ears. What are you left with? Words alone.
This is a huge issue in the digital universe. When you send an email or a text, 93% of your message is made up in the mind of the recipient.
Say it with me, folks. S C A R Y.
Nobody wants to read the emails you so painstakingly write. I’m a writer so this bugs me even more than you.
Emoticons and animated GIFs (see right) help a little but not near enough and not in business communiques.
No wonder the average American spends 28.7 hours per week lobbing emails. Likely at least half of the messages are responses to and clarifications about emails already sent. (Text messages have similar issues, exacerbated by enforced brevity and the impulsive nature of the medium.)
I’ll Read it Later
Nobody wants to read the emails you so painstakingly write. I’m a writer so this bugs me even more than you. Most people are information-saturated. Even texts are avoided if the topic is deemed annoying or unimportant (to the chagrin of my daughter).
Email is still the best way to connect with people in an ongoing manner. Regular eblasts, when done correctly, are still the most effective. least expensive form of marketing.
What’s worse, despite the rise of chat apps such as Slack, people today are sending and receiving work emails more than ever. Email is still the best way to connect with people in an ongoing manner. Regular eblasts, when done correctly, are still the most effective, least expensive form of marketing.
Clearly email composition can no longer be unmindful or impulsive. Bad email at its best wastes precious time and at its worst, alienates work and personal relationships. (See How to Respond to Negative Reviews.)
Given the above constraints, how can you compose a gracious, authoritative email that’s also friendly and easy to understand — with just 7% capacity?
Email Hacks that Work
You’re in luck. What follows are six tried-and-true email hacks that can help you achieve better results, cut down on your time and effort, and maybe even improve (instead of destroy) your relationships. One can always hope.
It’s not about what you write, it’s about what your recipient will interpret.
- Be overly polite. Typing an extra please & thank-you doesn’t take more than a few seconds and goes a long way toward softening an otherwise stern or impersonal message. Remember you’re compensating for a lack of vocal and visual cues. Although being overly polite can seem insincere in person, in email it simply balances the negative bias of neutrality.
- Be personal. People are more receptive when they think you see them as individuals.
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- Always use a personalized salutation. (Ex: Dear Fred -or- Dear Mr. Smith)
- Include a personal reference PS if possible. (Ex: P.S. Enjoy your trip to Hawaii. -or- P.S. Let’s talk further next week. I’ll give you call.)
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- End with Thank-You. Research shows that “Thanks in advance” has a 36% relative increase in average response rate compared to signing off another way. (Check out the Boomerang app to help you structure email.)
- Avoid exclamation points and emoticons. If you must use them in an email, then no more than one per message. Otherwise your text will seem adolescent!! 🙁 !!!
- Keep details to a minimum. Write the most important information at the top. Remember, nobody has the energy to read much further anyway.
- When in doubt, use voice. Ask yourself if the email could be interpreted the wrong way. If the answer is yes — even if the possibility is remote — then forgo email entirely and make a phone call instead.
- Go retro. Phone calls are faster, more personal, and always more efficient than email. Use email as a follow-up to a phone call, rather than a substitute for it.
Email remains one of the best ways to maintain connection with patients and associates. As a primary touch-point, it demands a unique structure and style to ward off misunderstandings. Whether you’re writing the email yourself or delegating the task to another person, remember:
It’s not about what you write, it’s about what your recipient will interpret.