I surveyed my monthly Communique’ readers earlier this year, asking them this question: “What annoys you most about the way people communicate online?”
The responses fell neatly into these three categories:
- Mistakes and Misspelling,
- Misunderstanding,
- Meanness.
I’ve summarized the responses below almost word-for-word as received. I’ve also included duplicate responses in order to emphasize how annoying some online communication habits can be. The responses below serve as a real-life reminder to all of us on what NOT to do in our online communication.
Mistakes and Misspelling
CAPS, acronyms and emojis oh my! The items in this category compromise our professionalism and rob us of our credibility. Unfortunately, even the most brilliant ideas and insights may be overlooked in an email riddled with typos, misspellings and misuse of words. In the words of Winston Churchill: “Who you are speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you’re saying!”
“What Annoys You Most About the Way People Communicate Online?”
Survey Says…
- Online communication that doesn’t have complete/correct sentences
- Being too casual and using emojis
- Misspellings, bad grammar and typing in all CAPS
- The informality of the message (poor grammar, emojis, abbreviations)
- Grammar errors, spelling and misuse of words
- When they do not use punctuation
- Acronyms instead of spelling out words
- Using CAPS to get a point across
- Not communicating in complete words/sentences
- Misspelling or using words incorrectly (to/two/too; here/hear)
Misunderstanding
The George Bernard Shaw quote “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place” applies here. While we may experience communication breakdown and barriers face-to-face, there is an even bigger risk of that happening online. The solution? Sometimes we may need to opt for a phone call, video call or in-person conversation!
“What Annoys You Most About the Way People Communicate Online?”
Survey Says…
- Saying hi then not responding for 10 minutes
- Giving more info than I need. Get to the point! What do you need from me?
- Using abbreviations and not clearly explaining, then I need to call
- When I ask several questions and get a one liner back
- Silence instead of a brief “thanks” or “got it” when emailed something
- People don’t read! Comprehension is at an all-time low
- Using “reply all” when the message is meant for several people
- Assuming intent without all the facts
- Using Facebook Messenger, text and email in the same conversation
Meanness
Unfortunately, the prevailing practice these days seems to be “if you can’t say something nice, post it on Facebook, or send an email or a text.” As shown in the survey results below, it’s clear that people are hiding behind technology and sharing things they would never say to someone’s face. I think the words of Maya Angelou provide a great guideline to keep in mind in our own online communication:
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
“What Annoys You Most About the Way People Communicate Online?”
Survey Says…
- Lack of niceties like greeting (Dear So-and-So or Hi Sarita) which makes communication too direct and terse
- Rude and mean on Facebook and Twitter; outright trashing people, often someone they don’t even know
- Saying things they wouldn’t say to someone’s face
- Hiding behind email; afraid to have upfront, honest conversation
- Lack of civility
- They don’t take the time to think before hitting send
- Something lost in translation in email and then person seems frustrated when I email back for clarification
