i think one of the simple things we can all do is ask our team members, our colleagues, what do you notice about my digital body language style? i remember two people i interviewed talked about how even they judged how their boss was feeling about them based on the order of fmale recipients. If this is a new relationship and you have more power, you have an opportunity to break down the formality. And then, especially once you've had time to talk by phone or me, you can then break down those barriers. You know, art are things that, for some, especially with lower power, can feel as indicators of whatever it may be, trust, respect, power dynamics in
Erica Dhawan: Digital Body Language
Erica Dhawan is a globally recognized leadership expert and keynote speaker helping organizations and leaders innovate faster and further, together. Named as one of the top management professionals around the world by Global Gurus, she is the founder and CEO of Cotential, a company that has helped leaders and teams leverage twenty-first-century collaboration skills.
Erica’s writing has appeared in dozens of publications, including Fast Company and Harvard Business Review. She is the co-author of Get Big Things Done* and the author of the new book, Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance*.
In this conversation, Erica and I highlight common missteps that cause leaders to generate unnecessary anxiety from their communication. We discuss how brevity, response time, passive aggressiveness, and formality can work against us — and what we can adjust on our own behaviors to do better.
Key Points
In a way, all of us are now immigrants, processing more interactions in a digital world that is less familiar.
Excessive brevity may save a few keystrokes or seconds in the moment, but can generate lots of extra work for the team and organization.
Reduce anxiety by being explicit about our expectations on response time and teaching others what to expect from us.
Changing tone and formality without explanation can be jarring.
Seemingly unimportant choices like who we list first on emails can generate assumptions from those we’re communicating to.
Resources Mentioned
Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance* by Erica Dhawan
The Digital Body Language Expert Course
Related Episodes
How to Balance Care and Accountability When Leading Remotely, with Jonathan Raymond (episode 464)
How to Run an Online Meeting, with Bonni Stachowiak (episode 472)
How to Be Present, with Dave Crenshaw (episode 511)
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