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Text chats are changing how we communicate

The relocation to home offices has abruptly changed our work culture. Encounters, conversations and communication are for the most part only possible digitally. Online chatting is becoming increasingly important. So has this changed our social interaction? What effect are chats having on text and communication? What should we be looking out for?

From calls to entering a chat  

Even before the pandemic, there had been an increasing trend toward meetings, important conversations and weekly team rounds held virtually, with no one personally at any one place. In addition, chat tools are really no longer a novelty. Nonetheless, the past few months not only accelerated the trend, but they have also inevitably replaced “in-person communication” entirely. Calls, short agreements, and face-to-face conversations have given way to video chats and phone calls, but most of all to texting. Whether, how and to what extent digital forms of communication are used, and what advantages and disadvantages they offer, companies will be evaluating it all themselves. What is certain is that all of it is currently necessary.  

What effect do language and text have on us?   

Linguistics has a separate field that deals with the power, structure and grammar of our language and vocabulary. For example, the so-called Sapir-Whorf hypothesis describes the effect of language on our perception of the world. The crucial question is whether our thinking can be limited and shaped by our language?

It should come as no surprise that the written word carries a special status - it enables us to express ourselves in a more targeted, planned and often more precise manner. Since communication in the digital office has changed massively as a result of COVID-19, we need to be aware about the new, “text-heavy” channels changing our communication significantly and with their own different effect.

Between chatting and a personal conversation

A 2007 study by the Dortmund Institute for German Language and Literature found around 20 percent of all text in chats are never sent, as the relevance or urgency of the message changes in real time between when the text is typed and the “send” button is hit. Just as we organise and discard trains of thought during personal conversations, this also happens with written real-time communication.

Compared to other forms of text communication, such as classic email, chats are much more spontaneous, direct and immediate. But at the same time, they lack what is important in personal conversations. Emphasis, jokes and vocal emotions are often missing and replaced with emojis.

Write carefully 

What does this mean for day-to-day chats in teams or with colleagues? Most of all, you should be aware of the texts you are delivering and how they are received - and that important stylistic devices and features such as facial expressions, gestures, tone of voice and the closeness personal conversations provide are all not there. Last but not least, the past few months have put our patience and perseverance to the test. Thoughtful formulations like “Do you have a minute?” or “May I send you something?” can help prevent misunderstandings caused by stress and time pressure. 

In important or critical situations it can be useful to take a step back and reconsider what you have written. Do you really want to put it that way? How would this text affect you? What makes your counterpart “tick”? How does your message come across to your chat partner on both a factual and an interpersonal level? Of course, a personal exchange such as over the phone can never be completely replaced. Sensitive, explanatory and particularly urgent matters should continue to be clarified in a direct conversation. 

Why you should add a thank you to many of your chats and emails

Back to the effect of texts and words. Last year, a plug-in for email administration evaluated by the American company Boomerang showed emails more frequently answered when there was a specific closing formula. A scientific study from 2010 corroborated the results: When an email ends with a thank you, the response rate increases significantly. Incidentally, most of the times emails were answered with the phrase “thank you in advance”.

In chats, too many conversations are left open. After all, a conversation is not “over”; it is less binding and there is no formal conclusion. Notwithstanding, a quick thank you is not only friendly, quick and generally appropriate, it also increases the likelihood that your interlocutor will remain helpful and cooperative.

Written by: Martin Marsmann