In the corporate world every individual is constantly perceived by the way he/she communicates. People are getting an impression of you by reading your body language, verbal, and digital communication. This makes it vital to make sure all forms of communications at work remain professional and yet effective. With digital communication being used for all kinds of work across the world, one must learn to use these mediums in the professional context.  

The following guidelines will help you understand how to go about different forms of communication at work and get your message out there successfully:

Having an effective telephonic conversation goes beyond just exchanging greetings. Make sure you are audible but not loud. Taking a call while you are in a meeting with another person, shows that someone else is more deserving of your time, hence do not answer the phone. While speaking with someone on speakerphone, let them know, and immediately tell them who else is in the room with you.

Always use your professional e-mail address for all work-related communications.  Use the reply-all button judiciously. Re-read your messages, check for names, dates, venues, and other details like spelling mistakes before hitting send. Cultivate the habit of attaching a document, as soon as you refer to the document in the e-mail, instead of having to shoot another mail. Use exclamations and emoticons sparingly. Be very careful while trying to sound humorous on mails, because what might be funny while saying aloud, can turn out to be very different when written.

In order to reach a person in your professional circle via instant messaging (IM) make sure you happen to know them and have met them. If you think the person receiving your message might need some time to respond back, then fire an e-mail instead of a message. Never send bad news or important piece of information using IM.

With innumerable apps being used for texting since it is the fastest way to communicate, it becomes increasingly important to know netiquettes to text for professional purpose. Keep abbreviations at bay, and reserves them strictly for outside work use. Avoid informing people about last minute changes like updates on change in time or venue for a meeting using a text messages, there are high chances of them not checking, instead, call them.

Video conferencing is also a commonly used mode of communication at many offices these days. Instead of looking at the computer while video chatting with a person, look into the camera, which will make it seem like you are making eye contact with them. Try to tone down your gestures while video conferencing, it can be too much to fit in the chat window.
Communication etiquettes both personal and digital are extremely significant because they can covey a lot about you. Make sure you brush up your skills to stay professional and to communicate efectively.

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