Navigating Email Etiquette

You can’t judge people’s motivations people s through e-mail. You want to hear their tone when they’re reacting to pricing or discussing competitive products. It’s that simple. Email is not a communication tool to use when you need to see-or sense the white of their eyes.The advantages of conversation over email areclearly greatest when troubles are at hand, says Daniel Goleman, author of Social Intelligence:“There are ways in which e-mail may subtly encourage such trouble in the first place”. Researchers in the emerging field of neuroscience says there's a “design flaw” in the way our brains interact with computers screens.

Here are some guidelines for email etiquette:

• We tend to misinterpret positive e-mail messages as more neutral, and neutral ones as more negative than the sender intended.
• Include one positive or "nice" accolade: thanks, I appreciate it, hope you had a good weekend, etc. It sets the tone and helps eliminate any misinterpretation.
• Women, more than men, tend to incorporate accolades in their emails.
• Do not incorporate emoticons. A smiley face is okay for personal texts/emails, not business.
• Think short and concise rather than a novel. If it is going to be l-o-n-g pick up the phone.
• Sarcasm and irony can be very open to misinterpretation in an email (might work face-to-face).
• Email is a legal document.

The Gender Communication Handbook –
Conquering Conversational Collisions Between Men and Women

The Gender Communication Handbook is for anyone who works with the opposite sex. If you are a part of a management team, in HR, or develop corporate training, this book is a comprehensive guide filled with smart advice, extensive research, self-assessments, and compelling true-to-life case studies. More

Code Switching –
How to Talk so Men will Listen

Code Switching  is a hands-on tool for everyday use at the office. It is a practical resource with how-to steps to help businesswomen conquer the communication nuances between men and women in the workplace. This book explores the gender impact on business talk. - More

You Don’t Say – Navigating Nonverbal Communication Between the Sexes

You Don't Say is the first book to explore the misunderstandings that often arise between the sexes due to nonverbal communication — and to show readers how to say what they mean and get what they want. More than words, it's nonverbal cues that have the power to improve — or impair — our interactions with the opposite sex at home and in the workplace.