Module 2 ESEPSY Blog Post: Tone and Why You Might Want to Not Add That Joke

One of the most important things to keep in mind when communicating is that tone is something that is not always communicated properly and can be misread. Due to the nature of the written language tone is not something that’s easily conveyed as spoken language. Written literature lacks body language and the tone of voice that spoken language has, making the context and meaning behind the words clearer. Therefore what would be a harmless joke can very easily come across as an insult to the recipient. It’s something that you see very often, generally when a company has to apologize for something said, it tends to be a joke that was either poorly received due to the wording or one that was mean-spirited in the first place. At the same time, you don’t want to come across as a machine. People dislike automated answers, even if they come from a person.

Adding a personal spin to your words when writing that email is not a bad start. You are you and want to differentiate yourself from the rest is a step to making yourself remarkable. Be professional when discussing work-related issues or ideas. If the relationship between you and the recipient is good enough, you can make some light-hearted conversation but remember, you are discussing work. Once you send the email, there’s little chance that you can take back what you say so review everything and double-check. If you see something’s that questionable, reword it or remove it.

Ultimately the goal is to make the tone you want to see clear. There’s a time and place for everything, you just need to know when it is.