Digital politeness : smooth everyday organisation
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When we want to get organised at the office, as a family or for the next holiday away with friends, our communication is now 90% digital: texts, emails, shared diaries. However, it’s not always easy to keep team spirit alive on a daily basis. We are lacking in digital politeness. Simply take a look at the last 5 organisational messages you received on your smartphone to confirm this.
And yet, we need to build relationships in order to feel part of a group. To prove this, there are already applications available to add personalised politeness to our mails. Move aside, Emily Post!
So, before we hand over everything to do with digital politeness to the robots, here are a few simple rules of Netiquette to add the personal touch to your daily organisation.
Identify Yourself
Don’t you love those discussion groups where you don’t recognise half the numbers on display? So, don’t be kelly.r., start your message by saying “Hi, it’s Pauline! I’m a cousin of Charlie’s whose birthday party we’re organising”. It is nice after all to know who you’re talking to and it can avoid a lot of unnecessary misunderstandings.
Reply Usefully
The “reply to all” option is worthwhile, but it’s not for every situation. For example, when teacher shares a picture from the school outing, it can be quite annoying to get 30 messages that say “Thank you! Don’t they look cute.”! Better to avoid the “reply to all”. Just send a little message to thank the teacher after the trip. On the other hand, when your boss shares some good news at the office, it is a good idea to reply to everyone to thank your colleagues. Placing special emphasis on the quality of your personal contribution of course!
Digital politeness can also serve this purpose…
First Name Terms
It has been demonstrated that using first names promotes consideration and respect in relationships. Hello Pauline! This is a good practice that we don’t use anymore, and sometimes it’s a mistake.
If you use Slack or Coorganiz for your organisation, you might reckon that it doesn’t matter because your conversations are on a thread, so it’s not worth it. Wrong! Use first names and sign at least the first message of the day, and do the same with the last one. What do you mean you leave the office or your house without saying goodbye? This is even more important if you work remotely.
Personalise
Are you sending an invitation in a shared diary? Add a little note – this will personalise the invitation and not reveal you as a time thief. Here are a few simple examples of digital politeness: Great to see you again/ See you soon/ Thanks for your help… you do it on the phone, so why not write it down too.
Digital politeness is time-consuming, I hear you say? Yes, it’s true, but so are relationships, and working on them means building a team at home, at the office or to organise Charlie’s birthday party!
Tip:
In Coorganiz, the members of your group are in direct contact even if you don’t have their numbers, and you have space to write a friendly note with each invitation or task… so if you want to get organised easily in your family, with your friends or at the office, choose team spirit with Coorganiz!
