Training Session 13 04 02 2021 communication via e mail, determining the previous lecture

Summary

The video script emphasizes the importance of understanding and adapting to digital communication nuances, especially in a professional context. It highlights the need to interpret messages carefully, assume positive intent, and be aware of cultural differences that can affect email and online interactions.

Takeaways

• 🌐 **Understanding Cultural Differences**: Recognizing that accountants and colleagues come from diverse backgrounds, including many from Asian countries, is crucial for effective communication.
• 🤝 **Assume the Best Intent**: It's important to approach interactions with a positive mindset, avoiding assumptions of disrespect or offense based on misinterpretations.
• 📧 **Email Tone Matters**: The tone of an email can be easily misinterpreted without the context of face-to-face communication, so it's essential to be mindful of how your words may be perceived.
• 🧐 **Read Between the Lines**: Be aware that there might be reasons behind someone's behavior or communication that are not immediately apparent, and avoid jumping to conclusions.
• 💼 **Professionalism Beyond the Door**: Leaving personal issues outside the workplace is key to maintaining a productive and professional environment.
• 🌐 **Adapt to Digital Communication**: As face-to-face interactions decrease, understanding and adapting to digital communication styles becomes increasingly important.
• 👀 **Body Language in Text**: Even in written communication, 'digital body language' can convey attitudes and emotions, so it's important to be aware of how your messages might be interpreted.
• 📚 **Learn and Grow**: Continuous learning and adaptation are necessary to navigate the evolving landscape of digital communication and workplace interactions.
• 🔍 **Use Tools for Clarity**: Utilize tools like Grammarly or Google Translate to ensure clarity and accuracy in written communication.
• 🤝 **Respect in Digital Form**: Respect in the digital world can be different from in-person interactions, and it's important to understand and adapt to these nuances.

Q & A

Why is it important to understand the cultural background of colleagues and clients?

Understanding cultural backgrounds helps in better communication and reduces misunderstandings. It enables you to assume positive intent and avoid misinterpreting behaviors or messages.

What should you do if you perceive an email as disrespectful?

Before assuming disrespect, consider other possible reasons for the email's tone, such as the sender being busy or cultural differences. Reflect on your own biases and re-read the email carefully.

How can email communication be more complicated than face-to-face communication?

Email communication lacks non-verbal cues like facial expressions and body language, making it easier to misinterpret the sender's intent.

What are some tools and strategies mentioned for improving written communication?

Using tools like Grammarly to check tone and spelling, Google Translator for language help, and having someone review high-risk emails are recommended strategies.

Why is it essential to read emails carefully and assume the best intent?

Carefully reading emails and assuming the best intent helps in understanding the true message and avoiding negative assumptions that can lead to conflicts.

How can you improve your understanding of a client's communication style?

By reviewing sent and received emails, observing the client's communication patterns, and noting their preferences for formality or detail.

What role does digital body language play in virtual communication?

Digital body language involves the tone, clarity, and structure of written communication. It's crucial for conveying the right message and avoiding misunderstandings.

What should you do if you feel uncertain about the tone of your email?

If unsure about your email's tone, have a trusted colleague review it before sending, especially if the email addresses a contentious issue.

What did the speaker suggest doing when facing cultural differences in communication?

The speaker suggested researching cultural norms, using polite language consistently, and not making quick judgments about others' communication styles.

How does the speaker recommend handling email communication with clients who might have different communication styles?

The speaker recommends observing and adapting to each client's communication style, using polite and clear language, and verifying your understanding of their messages.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Understanding Digital Communication Nuances

The first paragraph emphasizes the importance of recognizing cultural and personal differences in digital communication, especially in professional settings with diverse teams. It discusses the potential for misunderstandings due to the absence of non-verbal cues and stresses the need to avoid jumping to conclusions based on preconceived notions. The speaker encourages an open-minded approach to interpreting emails and behavior, advocating for assuming positive intent and considering alternative explanations for actions that might initially seem disrespectful or dismissive.

05:03

📝 The Challenge of Digital Body Language

This paragraph delves into the complexities of interpreting body language in a digital environment, where traditional cues like facial expressions are not readily available. It highlights the importance of being aware of one's own digital body language, including the tone and intent of written messages. The speaker shares personal observations of colleagues' behaviors during meetings and the potential for misinterpretation, urging the audience to be mindful of how they come across in digital interactions and to use tools and techniques to ensure clear and respectful communication.

10:03

🔄 Adapting to the Digital Professional World

The third paragraph focuses on the necessity of adapting to the digital professional landscape, where face-to-face interactions are replaced by virtual ones. It discusses the personal growth and learning required to feel comfortable in this new environment, including understanding the importance of careful message crafting and interpretation. The speaker shares insights from colleagues about the importance of empathy and respect in digital communication, and the need to educate oneself on the subtleties of digital body language.

15:04

🛠️ Utilizing Tools for Effective Digital Communication

In this paragraph, the discussion turns to the practical tools and strategies that can enhance digital communication. The speaker mentions apps like Grammarly for improving email tone and clarity, as well as the use of translation tools for language support. There's an emphasis on the value of peer review for high-stakes messages and the importance of continuous learning and adaptation to effectively navigate the digital communication landscape.

🌐 Embracing the New Normal of Digital Interactions

The final paragraph reflects on the broader implications of the shift to digital interactions, acknowledging the challenges and the need for adaptation. It touches on the personal experiences of team members adjusting their expectations and behaviors to align with the norms of digital communication. The speaker concludes with an optimistic note about the potential for building familiarity and connection, even in a digital context, and the human capacity for resilience and adaptability.

Keywords

💡Cultural Differences

Cultural differences refer to the variations in customs, behaviors, and communication styles among people from different regions or ethnic backgrounds. In the video's context, it is important for professionals to understand these differences, especially when dealing with clients and colleagues from Asian countries. The script mentions that accountants often come from diverse backgrounds, and recognizing cultural nuances can prevent misunderstandings and foster better working relationships.

💡Assumption

Assumption is the act of presuming something to be true without evidence. The video emphasizes the danger of making assumptions about others' intentions or behaviors, especially in digital communication where non-verbal cues are absent. An example from the script is when someone might misinterpret an email's tone as disrespectful, when in reality, the sender might have been busy or overlooked a detail.

💡Digital Body Language

Digital body language encompasses the non-verbal cues in written communication, such as emails or chat messages. The video script discusses the importance of being aware of how one's words can be interpreted and the potential for miscommunication. It mentions 'four digital body language rules' which, although not detailed in the transcript, likely refer to guidelines for clear and respectful digital communication.

💡Productivity

Productivity is the efficiency of an individual or system in converting inputs into outputs. The script relates productivity to an individual's emotional state, suggesting that stress or unhappiness can lead to decreased productivity and potential HR issues. Professionals are encouraged to focus on what they can control to maintain a productive work environment.

💡Professionalism

Professionalism is the conduct, aura, and quality that manifests in a professional setting. The video script touches on professionalism in terms of handling one's emotions and reactions to digital communication. It suggests leaving personal issues 'at the door' and focusing on controllable aspects of work, which is a hallmark of a professional attitude.

💡Interpretation

Interpretation is the act of understanding and explaining the meaning of something. In the context of the video, it is crucial for individuals to be aware that their interpretation of messages may not always align with the sender's intent. The script warns against being 'absolute and black and white' in one's interpretation, as this can lead to misjudgments.

💡Email Communication

Email communication is the exchange of information through electronic mail. The video script highlights the complexities of email communication, especially when compared to face-to-face interactions. It points out the importance of careful reading and responding to emails, as they lack the visual cues of body language.

💡Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. The script reframes the concept of empathy in the context of digital communication, suggesting that being careful in responding to someone is a form of 'new empathy.' It implies that understanding the message correctly and responding thoughtfully is a way of showing respect and empathy in a digital environment.

💡Misunderstanding

Misunderstanding is a failure to understand or a misconception. The video script discusses the ease with which misunderstandings can occur in digital communication, particularly when messages are interpreted differently by different people. It advises viewers to be cautious in their interpretations to avoid such misunderstandings.

💡Adaptation

Adaptation is the process of adjusting to new conditions or environments. The script speaks to the need for individuals to adapt to the digital era of business and work, where face-to-face interactions are less common. It suggests that learning how to communicate effectively in a digital environment is a form of adaptation necessary for professional success.

💡Respect

Respect is a feeling of deep admiration for someone elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements. In the video script, respect is discussed in the context of digital communication, where it is suggested that careful reading of messages and thoughtful responding are ways to show respect. The script also touches on the idea that respect in digital interactions can be more challenging to perceive and establish.

Highlights

Importance of understanding cultural differences in communication, especially in professional settings.

Assumption of the best intent in interactions can prevent misunderstandings and biases.

The impact of preconceived notions on interpreting others' behavior and communication.

The role of body language in face-to-face communication and its absence in digital interactions.

The necessity of broadening one's thinking to consider alternative interpretations of others' actions.

The significance of emotional intelligence in professional environments for effective communication.

How stress and unhappiness can affect productivity and the importance of maintaining a positive work environment.

The concept of leaving personal issues at the door to focus on controllable aspects in the workplace.

The challenges of interpreting digital body language and the need for careful reading and responding in digital communication.

The importance of not being absolute in interpretations of others' intentions or behaviors.

The value of understanding that email communication is a significant part of daily work and requires careful interpretation.

The potential for misunderstanding in digital communication and the need for careful interpretation of messages.

The role of digital body language in team meetings and the importance of being aware of how one is perceived.

The insight that writing messages with a clear intent can help convey the right tone and avoid misinterpretation.

The cultural differences in communication styles and the need for adaptability in a global work environment.

The use of tools like Grammarly to improve email communication and the importance of double-checking messages for tone and clarity.

The idea that digital communication has become a new language that requires learning and adaptation.

The need for adaptability and finding ways to feel comfortable in digital communication environments.

The potential of using Google Translate and other tools to aid in understanding and communicating effectively in a digital world.

Transcripts

is because part of the reason i wanted

you to watch this is you're going to be

dealing with a lot of different people

from different um places and a lot of

accountants actually do

come from asian countries so it can help

a lot not only when you're dealing with

clients but also when you're dealing

with colleagues to understand and expect

that there will be differences

and that you know as they said always

assume

the best it's sometimes when you're

looking for

um you know an offense or you're looking

for a type of behavior that you've

already labeled from somebody you'll

find it

and you'll actually miss um you know

what it really may be

so we'll have it we'll we'll read the

tone of somebody's email and we'll

immediately assume that person's being

disrespectful

or they're um they're not uh valuing

what i'm doing so

we have to recognize that's a story and

it may not be the truth

the person may be busy you actually may

have missed

um some key component that they've

actually um

written in the email but because you

your focal point was

um an impression that this person maybe

is is rude or this person is um

is you know being um disrespectful

but the reality is there could be a

whole host of other reasons and all

we're trying to do is get you to broaden

your thinking and go okay if it's not

that what else

could it be so again we talk about the

black and white and not being absolute

the reason why this is important is if

you think about any organization

you know your ability to be productive

to get your work done to operate well

it really does depend on how you're

feeling when somebody's shaken up when

they're feeling stressed when they're

feeling

miserable or unhappy they're not going

to be productive they're going to make

mistakes there'll be hr

issues there'll be a whole host of other

things that get impacted

part of becoming a professional is

really about being able to know

that you have left everything at the

door as in you've done everything in

your power and you're focusing on what

you can control

and the rest of it um you you'll give it

uh

a wide berth and what that means is you

won't be absolute and black and white in

your interpretation

of the other person's um intent behavior

whatever it may be because a lot of the

times we can be wrong

particularly when we're not doing face

to face and there isn't the ability to

read body language

so i'm glad that you picked up on that

um the the main thing that

that i

see as a problem for me basically

and the the takeaway is

that this kind of communication is

a lot more uh complicated than the

face-to-face communication

because there are a lot more things to

be focusing on

because we can see each other

and read those facial expressions and

body language so we we must

always assume that

nothing is bad and that

that person is basically

rude to us okay good

excellent well that that's great because

you're already going into it

um you know aware of this

aware that this is something that may

crop up and you're already

you know bringing an understanding lens

when you're dealing with it so that's

great and also you're

you're coming into it with an awareness

that email communication is a big part

of how you're going to be

working on a daily basis so it's

important that you understand

that everything is about interpretations

and perceptions

that immediately will make it a lot

easier for you

that's good um monika okay i think

everything has been said already

what i think as well but uh for me

the main thing was same like nana's

that emails and messages can easily be

misunderstood

so that we have to be careful in

interpreting them

that was the key takeaway for me and the

four digital body language

uh rules which she was talking about

and that's a really great one to be

aware of because you will be in team

meetings and

you're also going to be um you know

working with another uh

qsd team member as you're being trained

so you guys will have your chat

on for the whole day and you will be

communicating with them

and each of us brings an energy to the

work so knowing

you know that that could be an issue or

you could be perceived in a certain way

and being aware of you know your body

language also if you're talking with a

client whatever it may be it's just

again about having that shift of

if i'm looking at myself outside of this

how would i perceive myself

you know what what cues am i giving off

because as i'm looking at each and every

one of you

even though i'm aware of the fact that

my

interp my perceptions are not always 100

they're not right

they're just my perceptions i'm going to

read certain things like for example

pablo is leaning forward and listening

so i feel like okay in my in my mind

that's the body language of

being engaged stefan leaning back and in

my mind it's flashing in my mind that

maybe this isn't as interesting for him

i'm not saying that's true but

this is what i'm talking about when it

comes to body language i noticed that

even i was

holding her head here i'm thinking is

she not feeling well today

these are all of the things that are

cropping up as each of us

are communicating when i do sales i read

body language that's what i do it's a

lot easier in real person

but when where in this scenario it is so

difficult and even presenting it's

difficult

to speak and to you know watch

everybody's facial expressions

but being aware that this is a tool that

we have

and that actually can be quite

insightful it's already

a good thing to have in your toolbelt as

you're dealing with not only colleagues

managers but also clients suppliers

whatever it may be

so stefan i'd love to know what your

tech key takeaways were

oh well um what mainly i remember this

one sentence

it was uh carefully reading messages

is the new listening and the

being careful when responding to someone

is

the new empathy and that's how you give

respect to someone by

being make sure that you did everything

in your power to understand the message

in the right way of course you might not

get it sometimes

because people do tend as nana and

monica mentioned they do tend to

uh interpret messages in different way

like it was said in a training like

someone is passive aggressive or

condescending or

maybe rude or maybe want to criticize

but we need to

make sure to try the most in our power

to

get the positive to try to see it as a

positive thing

i love that and what's really important

as well one thing i've learned

um when i'm when i'm writing a message

and again i'm risk assessing if it's

just a basic message but i'm talking

about something that i need to convey

there's something to be said about the

um the energy that you're in when you're

writing it if you're

writing if you can write that message

and you'll

have an intent to achieve a certain

outcome um and there's no hidden

agenda or passive aggressiveness or

whatever it may be that will

funnily enough get conveyed you know i

think um

though that was it you that when you

applied for the position that you wrote

something

remember we said we could feel the

emotion

of what you wrote in your cover letter

as an example so everything that's

written

it you know it is being um interpreted

and so if you can help the other person

and view it from read your own things

from

their perspective how will they hear

what you've read you may be thinking one

thing but it's going to come out a

different

way now it'll be challenging for you in

the beginning because obviously there is

a cultural difference

you know as an example um you know

australians they're very big on saying

please and thank you

everything i might have mentioned this

before but every single kid is taught

from a very early age

you know to say please and thank you to

everything even in restaurants

to everybody which sometimes is funny in

serbia they're like some and wallish

right but um because it's a little bit

it's a little bit different right

but these are the little subtleties and

shifts that you're going to have to you

know

become aware of and what's really good

to do is when you start working on a

client as i've said before

go into the senate and received emails

find out who the key person is

read some of it read how the you know

read some emails you can search keywords

search sorry apologies um you know just

keywords that people might put in there

to

pull up some content to get an idea of

you know

to get an idea but to not label or make

a judgment because everybody

will have a different relationship with

each person depending what you bring so

even if the

client seems rude to the other person it

doesn't mean that they have to be that

way

to you because none of us are always

consistently the same to everybody

every relationship and the way that you

show up is going to impact

how they show up right so that's what's

really important to remember but to get

an idea

of are they do they speak briefly

do they like detail that kind of stuff

and just

log in that information and having it in

the back of your mind and your awareness

all right thanks stefan i'm ivana

yeah well i would like to say uh

specifically because uh this moment

actually exists and

erica she is doing research for years on

this uh subject

and it's important because this guy this

way of uh business

and working became reality

after the last year and i think

a lot of people need education and

special

training on this subject for example i

consider me the one who is

a digital adapter yes i'm

i'm the one who refused to be part of uh

the

digital world and i refused to

to um you know i i accepted

that uh it's not it's not supposed to be

like that that someone

uh is thinking about respect

you on my text message you know i think

it's overwhelming but in business world

in professional world

it is how it's supposed to be and the

with this presentation i had opportunity

to see

the other other side of uh personality

types

and to consider for myself what i need

to achieve

to feel more comfortable with this way

of

working to be more comfortable with

video meeting

because uh yes i like to communicate

with people in person but this is not a

reality anymore i

i have to learn how to behave in this

environment i would say yeah fantastic

i loved you i loved that insight yeah

absolutely um

wow well done um got nothing to say

that's good

one of the most important uh

key takeaways for me is about

one of the laws of the digital body

language

is communicate carefully um

and there was a an interesting uh

sentence

about uh reading message carefully

is on the new listening and

i completely agree with that because

people

um usually write messages in

hari and didn't pay attention

what they really write and

how other people

maybe others can misunderstand

what they want to say and also uh

one more is um to assume the best

uh intent uh it is i will try to adopt

this principle for sure okay great uh

recussion

uh well yes i will maybe repeat some

what others said but

um the most important thing for me is to

being to realize that people often

that we often think that people see us

or understand us

one way and the reality is completely

different

so we always must be aware of that when

we write email

okay we think we sound like that but you

know maybe double check it or whatever

just always questioning how we really

sound and what our tone is

uh in the email and generally that this

digital uh language is become is really

a new language

and we need to treat it that way and to

learn

learn and everything just to treat it as

a new

language really because i love that

yeah that's fantastic um and that's

treating it like a new language really

ties into what the next thing that i

wanted to say to you which was

you're going to get you're going to

obviously come across even some you know

every client's different some are formal

some are informal you might come across

some slang whatever it is

thank god for google um you know google

what they say i still do it like i will

google

um you know i might have mentioned this

to you there was a client who

who wrote to somebody um what the hell

how did you get that email now obviously

the person wasn't at fault because

someone else emailed her

but that was upsetting for the team

member

but i actually googled it to like to

clarify it for myself

i know that particular client and i know

what his baseline is and i know what

he's like and i know that

that is a saying that it wasn't meant to

be personalized it wasn't professional

but it wasn't meant to be personalized

right

um but it's about that you google it and

you get a better understanding get a

better insight into it the other thing

is i wanted to say whenever i'm writing

an email that's a high-risk email

um i will uh

you know ask somebody just to have a

quick look at it but not for every email

i'm talking about if it is something

that

is contentious right so you guys have

you know i'm sure that you've

formed some friendships here on that

you'll be working with other team

members

if you find somebody that you know

you're quite aligned with um you know if

you feel that every once in a while

there's something that you're writing

and you're not certain

generally trust your gut feel if you're

kind of humming and ironing about

sending it then maybe

you know get somebody else to look over

and get them to give you their feedback

just for that extra

remember i said poor email etiquette can

create so many problems and so much work

um so really be certain that you know

what you're saying

is is what you mean and it's coming out

that way as well

um there's a few other things that you

can do you know there's

um some apps out there that you can use

grammarly

um you know there's a whole host and you

can and you can research them and do

they can later on share some stuff with

you always like with the spell check

um sometimes if you get stuck you can

use um

google translator from serbian to

english you know there's a whole host of

tools it's up to you to find what works

for you

that's going to give you that edge to

make your communication

you know sound so pablo you didn't get a

chance to watch the video i recommend at

some point

if you you know do you get the chance to

watch the video but i i actually wanted

to

try through their words i i realized

what was the theme of the video but

first of all there is useful uh

useful thing grammarly when you write an

email

uh it gives you a

uh uh emoji

of how your email looks like okay it can

be

uh for example

uh like a target that you are

very direct and it it actually

represents how uh how your email will

sound like

so that would would have helped that

helped me a lot when i

needed to to reach out to the to the

suppliers or client or someone else

to see just to see the do i look do i

sound

uh formal enough or uh am i to

to too formal or or something like that

uh do you put up a bow tie

does it put up a bow tie if you're

performing yes oh my god it's amazing

all right and there is another thing uh

that that is i think the duda will

remember when we had a touch point i

think and

for three months i i said there was a

question

do i feel uh respectful enough of

uh from my colleagues and actually i

um i connect respect with uh

with meeting someone in person when i

know someone

uh face to face and i said then

and i think that my my opinion on that

is

change a little bit but i i said that i

i

uh i don't feel uh

disrespected but i'm not feeling also

respectful because i i don't know anyone

in in person i don't i don't know

enough people there to see their body

language to talk with them to

to see how they how they see me how they

uh or look look on me as someone that

was

that was new so uh it is

it is very very hard to to operate in

these conditions but

it's it's adaptive i think that that

everyone needs to

to realize that as soon as possible and

to

to try to adapt and and

find a way how to how to

uh make him comfortable

in in this in these situations

yeah i'm really valid fantastic points

and i applaud you for

you know adding your insights even given

you didn't watch it

um humans are infinitely resourceful and

adaptive when push comes to shove we

tend to find a way

um this is a change and it's something

that we're gonna be a bit rough

at but i've even noticed over a short

period of time

people aren't colliding with each other

as much as we did in the beginning when

we started zoom calls

so i think that as time goes by and as

more awareness is brought to it

um we're still going to be able to

connect even through

the digital era like i feel like i'm

getting to know you guys even though

we're not really i mean i'm obviously

sitting here and i'm doing lectures or

presentations but i

there's a familiarity that's happening

even though i'm not there

i you know it it's it's not too bad i

have to say i'm getting used to it

you know when you don't have a choice

then you kind of make the most of it