Responsive communication is a core component of business—and personal—etiquette. There’s nothing worse than sending an urgent email and receiving days of radio silence. (Okay, maybe there are worse things, but let me have my dramatic moment.)
It’s a frustrating situation we’ve all encountered; it can make you feel your time is not valued or that mutual respect is lacking.
As marketers, nearly every aspect of our job ties back to communication. But in an increasingly online, post-pandemic world moving a mile a minute, we seem to be losing the art of respectful, responsive and clear communication.
Let’s dive into how we can all be better communicators, whether we’re the sender or the recipient.
A Brief History of Workplace Communication
Communication channels and habits are ever-evolving. While emails, phone calls and in-person meetings were the business communication standard for decades, the COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed how we work.
Non-essential businesses needed to quickly adjust to a remote working model, spurring the global adoption of virtual “chat channels” like Microsoft Teams and Slack as they strived to ensure employees could maintain reliable, efficient contact with their colleagues.
Today, most businesses leverage multiple forms of digital communication. Employees are opting for more informal channels, especially with coworkers, utilizing casual tones and emojis and dropping the stale “circle back” jargon of workplaces past.
This virtual shift has brought numerous benefits, streamlining communication and collaboration and encouraging stronger connections between employees. But it also comes with challenges. The influx of virtual channels—and the number of messages within those channels—can make it stressful to maintain efficient communication.
According to Grammarly’s 2024 State of Business Communication Report, professionals spend 88% of their workweek communicating across multiple channels. The same professionals agree they have seen increases in both the frequency (78%) and the variety of channels (73%) for workplace communication over the past twelve months, with more than half finding that managing numerous communications is challenging.
So, how can we be better communicators?
The bottom line: think before you send, and give the same clarity and responsiveness you expect from others. To ensure you’re communicating in the most effective and efficient way possible:
Determine the best channel.
While chat channels are some of the quickest and easiest ways to communicate with internal teams, they’re not suitable for all messages. If you’re sending an information-heavy message or request, opt for email—especially if you expect some back-and-forth.
Use the right tone for your audience.
It’s no secret that meanings and tones can get lost in translation over virtual channels. While internal communications can often be more casual, make sure you have the right level of formality, politeness and professionalism when communicating with clients and partners.
This doesn’t mean your emails need to be cold or lack personality—but rather, your written communication should align with how you’d speak to the recipient in person.
Be clear and concise.
The recipient shouldn’t have to exert extra effort to understand your message. Clearly state why you’re reaching out, outline any requests you may have and include all necessary instructions and background information.
If you need to forward information from another email chain, don’t fire it off without context and expect the recipient to know what you want. Provide a summary, clarify what information they should retain from the thread and make sure they’re aware of any action items. This helps avoid confusion, assumptions and unnecessary back and forth.
Proofread your messages before hitting send.
It’s easy to rapid-fire emails and chats, but take the extra minute to spellcheck everything (especially names) and confirm what you’re sending actually makes sense.
We suggest downloading a browser extension or desktop app like Grammarly to proofread your writing—be sure to review your entire message for clarity and conciseness after accepting edits, as the robo-proofers can make mistakes.
Pro Tip: Enable and adjust the Undo Send time frame in your email settings for the ability to cancel email sends in case of a last-minute error discovery.
Be aware of response times.
Timely responses are pertinent to showing respect in the workplace and beyond, so try not to let messages sit in your inbox for more than 24 hours. If you need more time to craft your response, keep the sender in the loop by acknowledging receipt of the message and providing an estimated response time if possible.
When you’re going to be out of the office, set up an automated response and provide backup company contact information for a colleague who can help with requests while you’re away—but remember not to set someone as your backup without checking in first.
Make your inbox work for you.
As a booked-and-busy professional, checking your emails can easily fall to the wayside—I get it. Make the task less daunting by cleaning up your inbox.
Unsubscribe from any non-essential notifications and newsletters, and leverage folders, filters and labels to organize emails by topic or priority. If you’re still struggling to keep up, try setting calendar reminders throughout the day.
Pro Tip: Schedule reminders during your typical non-peak productivity times, such as at the beginning of the day or after lunch, to minimize interruptions to your creativity and workflow.
Pick up the phone.
If there are outstanding questions or misunderstandings that simply aren’t getting resolved through email, skip the confusion and suggest a phone call or meeting.
We tend to forget about or avoid this option, but it’s often the easiest and most efficient form of communication. Get into the habit of scheduling calls instead of calling unannounced, as you could catch the recipient unprepared or disrupt their workflow on an important project.
Pro Tip: Send recap emails after information-heavy calls or meetings to easily reference key discussion points and keep your team aligned.
Stay Mindful.
At Giant Voices, we tell every intern, creative and account manager who walks through our doors, “No silent drowning.” If you’re struggling to manage a heavy workload and an overload of messages, raise your hand—someone is almost always willing to help ease the burden and reprioritize.
And, if you’re noticing slower-than-usual response times, check in with your team to make sure everyone is aligned on priorities and see if you can offer any assistance. Your team likely isn’t ignoring your emails with malicious intent—they may just need some extra flexibility during a busy time.
At the end of the day, responsive communication is about mutual respect and understanding. If your inbox is bursting, chances are you’re not the only one. Avoid rapid-firing messages that can add to the chaos, and give the person on the other end some grace.
About the Author
Mary Aimone is a content strategist at Giant Voices who’s passionate about turning complex client ideas into tangible, readable content. Outside of work, she can often be found with her nose in a book or defending her controversial preference for Oxford commas.
