The way we connect is changing.
At work, at home, on the internet and in person, the language we use to communicate is increasingly shaped by social media, emoticons and ‘viral’ slang words that now seem to be common place in our language.
The internet has allowed our language to change at a speed and a scale never before seen, which leads to some amusing breakdowns of communication between generations- as can be seen in this YouTube clip of a teenager quizzing his mother on her knowledge of current slang words.
The video illustrates how young people create ‘new’ language with customary teenage confidence –a highlight being when he thinks his generation is responsible for the invention of the word ‘heinous’. His mother, of course, quite enjoys telling him that it’s not. Mind you, when it comes to ‘mandem’, she’s utterly lost.
As amusing as the bewilderment between generations can be, it does hold ramifications for the workplace, where our communication styles are extremely important to workplace operations, the company reputation, and team rapport.
Everyone needs to be able to understand each other, that much is plain. Misunderstandings can easily crop up when a 55 year old receives an email from the 19 year old receptionist saying;
‘BTW, hav u seen the boss’ joke post on the fb page, lfmao. LOL!!!’
Some slang meanings have also changed, such as LOL which meant ‘lots of love’ not so long ago (depending if you are from the US where it means something else #help!), and many are counterintuitive, such as ‘bare’ meaning ‘lots of’. (Believe me, I don’t get it either.)
This kind of language can leave the older or less social media savvy employees scratching their heads. Why on earth are they sending me lots of love- they barely know me? And why so many exclamation marks?
Confusion like this wastes time, as the employee then spends the next five minutes typing, ‘what does lfmao mean’ into Google and stumbling on all sorts of startling new terms on Urban Dictionary. Worse still is when a miscommunication occurs because of unclear language, and things are missed or errors occur. Slang can also exclude those that don’t understand it, creating unnecessary divisions in the workplace, and even undermine your reputation.
Millennials , or Gen Y’s, also tend to be much less formal in their language with their peers and superiors than older generations, and this can be somewhat confronting for senior employees.
For example, some older employees may take offence when their first name is used by someone they’ve just met- an entirely foreign and stuffy concept to a Gen Y! Yet on the other hand, as time goes on, the enthusiasm and openness of Gen Y’s communication tends to break down barriers and help build relationships- both in the office and with clients.
Younger staff members will also often use emoticons (smiley faces etc) to convey emotion in emails-particularly if they feel that their message might be taken the wrong way if it’s not softened in some way. For example,
‘I’ll need it asapJ’ is interpreted as ‘nicer’ than ‘I’ll need it asap.’
Emoticons are becoming incredibly common, and importantly, everyone knows what they mean. While some people find their use a bit off-putting and don’t use them themselves, this group seems to be diminishing rapidly, and emoticons are increasingly becoming a rapport-building tool. Basic emoticons have their place and can actually be beneficial in internal office communications, but be clear that they’re not ideal in formal written language with a client- at least at the beginning of the relationship with the client.
Given that we do so much of our workplace communication by email (particularly in virtual teams), having a clear communication style really does matter. It’s not so much about being formal, but rather that messages must be written in a language that other people understand, without using slang words that colleagues can’t easily decipher.
As such, it’s quite reasonable to let your team know what is and isn’t acceptable.
It’s probably wise to ask your team to limit acronyms like BTW and substituting slang for real words in emails, as it can confuse others and occasionally strays into unprofessionalism, depending on the context. A well-written email that is easily understood and grammatically correct is a powerful thing, establishing not only your own reputation as professional, but by extension, your company’s reputation. Overuse of exclamation points and signing off emails with emoticons (or even worse, kisses) runs the risk of undermining professional reputations- so use them at your peril.
To ensure that you have a reputation for clarity and professionalism at work, try to cut down on slang, acronyms and other symbols in written and spoken communication. Unless something’s commonly accepted in everyday language, it’s common sense to avoid using them in the workplace.
Until next time
Julia
