Tone, inflection and intent matter in communication. “WOW” can and often does mean: terrific, awesome, or outstanding. However, it can also mean: ooh, I didn’t expect that. The words must be taken in context to avoid making wrong assumptions. This is especially important when communicating via email. What if you send your boss a message saying that you got the big deal you’d been working on at a 35% discount and your boss replies, “WOW”? Is this an enthusiastic response or disappointment that the discounting was higher than expected? If you are accustomed to receiving enthusiastic replies, such as: “WOW! That’s fantastic! I knew you could do it!”, the one word response could be a sign that the deal is not as profitable as your boss had expected. Or it could simply be a case of pressing send before finishing the intended communication.
Taking time to appropriately position our written and spoken communications can make all the difference in our relationships.
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