Think about your e-communication like cholesterol, meaning that there are two kinds of conversational tones: positive and negative.
- Positive-toned communication: phrases such as “This is great,” “I really like . . . ‚” and “Thank you,” through greetings (“Dear so-and-so”) and closings (“Best wishes”), and also in emojis such as smiley faces etc.
- Negative-toned communication: negations and other phrases like “I don’t think . . .” and “This is a problem” and the even harsher “I am not happy with . . ..”
It is the ratio of positive to negative that is really important for our e-communication.