Editor's Corner

Sometimes here at Editor’s Corner, we talk about grammar. Sometimes we discuss new words. Still other times I go on about something that I discovered somewhere and wanted to find out more about.

Today isn’t much different. Today I attended our Knowledge Enablement (KE) book group. What have we been reading? It’s a book called Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection, by Charles Duhigg. It’s about a new kind of superhero, who can’t find a phone booth to change into, so they hide behind their cell phone and amusement ensues.

No, it’s not like that, though conversations have turned to Marvel.

Here’s a brief synopsis from Amazon®:

Come inside a jury room as one juror leads a starkly divided room to consensus. Join a young CIA officer as he recruits a reluctant foreign agent. And sit with an accomplished surgeon as he tries, and fails, to convince yet another cancer patient to opt for the less risky course of treatment. In Supercommunicators, Charles Duhigg blends deep research and his trademark storytelling skills to show how we can all learn to identify and leverage the hidden layers that lurk beneath every conversation.

But what does this have to do with you? Well, as we experienced with COVID, and as we approach a contentious election for president, it seems like it is a good time for a reminder about “talking online.” Mr. Duhigg discusses conversations between people on different sides of politics, guns, vaccinations, etc. One of his points is how conversations that move from “in person” to online can get out of control quickly. In that spirit, I want to share a lesson we learned today. (The bold text is mine.)

When talking online, remember to… Overemphasize politeness. Numerous studies have shown that online tensions are lessened if at least one person is consistently polite. In one study, all it took was adding thanks and please to a series of online arguments—while everything else stayed the same—to reduce tensions.

Underemphasize sarcasm. When we say something in a wry tone, it signals an irony our audience usually understands. When we type something sarcastic online, we typically hear these same inflections within our heads—but the people reading our comments do not. Express more gratitude, deference, greetings, apologies, and hedges. Studies demonstrate that when we are grateful (“That comment taught me a lot”), or solicitous (“I would love to hear your thoughts”), or preface comments with a greeting (“Hey!”), or apologize in advance (“I hope you don’t mind…”) or hedge our comments (“I think…”), online communication gets better. Avoid criticism in public forums.

In another study, researchers found that giving negative feedback online backfires much more than in real life. It pushes people to write more negative things, and to start criticizing others more frequently. When we criticize others publicly online, we make bad behavior into a digital norm.

All of these, of course, are also useful tactics when we’re speaking face-to-face. Many of them are obvious, things we learned as kids. But online, they’re easy to forget because we’re typing fast, texting between meetings, hitting send or post without rereading our words to see how they might land. Online, a bit more care and thought can yield outsized rewards.

There you have it. I find it difficult to control my temper or my sense of humor at times, so I choose to avoid posting much besides beautiful scenes I see. And I block people who disagree with me. No, that’s more my husband, but there have been a few times. For now, let’s have some patience and grace with each other.

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Technical Publications

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

Editor’s Corner Archives: https://episystechpubs.com/