Digi-Comm Challenges

Have you ever had one of those conversations, maybe with a member of the opposite sex, where you both feel like the words that are coming out of your mouth more than adequately express you point … or so you think?

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a face-to-face conversation with my husband that resulted in both of us not knowing what in the heck the other person was talking about. Part of that involves me thinking that I had told him a relevant piece of information that would have made things more clear, or the fact that he sometimes remains deadpan when I might be expecting a hint of a smile or laughter to betray his joke. Maybe that’s the difference between men and women.

But what happens you take away the interpersonal connection—the facial expressions, physical postures and gestures, etc.? Does the art of digital communication take more skill than other forms of expression?

Conveying emotion in digital form has gotten easier with the use of emoticons, or maybe harder, if you’ve experienced “flaming” (sudden flare ups of anger and insult), but it’s still far from perfect. One positive aspect of digital communication is that users often find it easier to express themselves online, perhaps from the comfort of being in a private setting where they’re somewhat hidden from the world.

What are your ideas or tips on how to avoid miscommunication in the digital world?