Respond carefully to digital messages

- You know that person. The one who communicates quickly, but not carefully? Type-O's and mistakes inundate their messages. Today, the rapid pace at which we communicate makes it easy to think, immediate responses and multitasking are mandatory. When we don't take the time to proofread what we key into a device, which often happens in texting and messaging, we actually make more work for ourselves, and waste energy and time fixing mistakes later. I want to encourage all of us to practice patience and careful responses. Remember, less haste in our communications equals more speed in understanding and trust-building. I'll always remember a common response from my old boss. When I was scheduling meetings for her, I'd send her a simple email asking, do you want to speak with them Wednesday or Thursday? Her response was, yes. Her default for speed annoyed me. When I sent a thoughtful message with one specific request and got a quick reply that didn't make sense, I felt disrespected. Here are two tips on how to respond carefully to your messages. First, read and reread your responses. Always think about how someone else could potentially misinterpret your message. When you have an important message, write it, take a break, and come back to it later. Or, send it to yourself and read it aloud from the other person's shoes. Ed Catmull of Pixar had a 24-hour gestation period for important messages. Sometimes, a simple pause can help. And secondly, schedule your communication for the optimal time for engagement, especially in sensitive situations. Avoid sending messages on Friday afternoons, or weekends when it's not urgent. And be conscious of time zones when you're working with global teams. Choose to send careful messages when others are in the head space to connect best with you. When you choose to write thoughtful messages instead of hasty thoughts, you gain an invaluable amount of clarity, power, and perspective. And you and your colleagues build trust and connection, no matter the distance.