With fresh grads trying to keep up with the latest digital communication trends, and professionals brushing up on their knowledge, the risk of digital miscommunications is at an all-time high and occurs when digital marketers fail to properly read emotional, behavioral as well as linguistic signals, which include tone of voice, consumer psychology, and analyzing analytics, all of which can make or break a business.
Digital miscommunications are heightened in the digital and remote working world, so these tips will fit perfectly into any professional’s agenda.
Lack of Emotional Proofreading
Whether you’re studying digital communication or have years of experience, one thing that hasn’t been taught enough is emotional proofreading. This goes beyond checking emails and body texts for typos. It’s about reading any message before communicating it to ensure that it is clear and expresses the proper tone. What helps this process is reversing the roles, and identifying with the recipient’s persona: how would you react if you receive this message?
Not Using Rich Communication Channels
This step is important for both internal team or client communications or project-related messaging. Whether it’s texting or emailing somebody we don’t know well or with more senior colleagues, we’re more inclined to interpret ambiguity negatively. When you start working with someone new, using video conferences helps to create trust.
Moreover, when communicating a copy to a target audience, understanding the consumer’s psychology and reaching them across multiple channels according to their use, will go a long way and will help better read between the lines, converse, and form long-term relationships.
Fun Fact: This is where international students and professionals shine, because of their own background, they’re more open to sharing and receiving.
Emojis Emojis Emojis…
Tricky one, as emojis can help us convey tone, meaning, and emotional cues either poorly or magnificently. On one hand, they can make content more human and relatable, and on the other hand, can make brands and businesses appear unprofessional. It’s best to know very well who’s receiving the message to know whether to use or leave them out of the communication.
Passive Aggressiveness
“Per my last e-mail”, “As previously discussed”… Does it ring a bell? It can be difficult to communicate effectively and efficiently online at times, and the increase in digital interactions increases the likelihood of misinterpretation. Without the vocal inflection offered by spoken communication, it is significantly more difficult to express tone through written communication, so imagine how these generic sentences might seem when used in a professional context. Setting clear expectations in the right tone is enough to avoid stress and tension.
Write As You Talk
This might seem like a no-brainer, but in fact, it’s a mix of a tip to benefit from or to avoid. It’s true that digital communicators have their distinct ways of writing, talking, and strategizing, but because they work behind the scenes, it’s their responsibility to convey their client’s tone of voice and identity, not theirs. Whether it’s avoiding the use of complicated language or making sure an idea is communicated in the simplest way possible, refining the wording with linguistic and emotional editing will help any professional know when and how or if to write as they talk.
Digital Miscommunications: How Business Schools Are Supporting Professionals in Avoiding Them
It’s about meeting the challenges of the current digital economy. At EMLV, the MSc in Marketing & Digital Communication is a one-year international program that prepares professionals to face marketing and communication problems in a digital economy.
This MSc program benefits from EMLV Business School’s long-standing competence in digital issues, as evidenced by a large alumni network among the major digital businesses and a robust pre-experience and executive education program in digital. The courses include specialized modules that teach you about digital (mobile) marketing techniques, advertising technologies, and social media marketing, as well as analytics and business modeling using digital analytics tools like Google Analytics.
This MSc program is tailored to meet the needs of professionals who have been and are still working in multiple digital fields, either simultaneously or as a targetted specialty.
This MSc degree will provide students with all of the skills needed to become a trained digital marketing manager or communicator by combining intensive lectures and taught modules with practical, hands-on experience that will help them gain marketing knowledge and learn how to use it. And given the high risk of miscommunication, especially in today’s world, businesses are now more than ever looking for the right digital transformation that will help them communicate the right way to the right audiences and through the right channels.