Written words

Words as we know it, is a powerful tool of communication, whether they are spoken or written. Words have the power to inspire, to motivate and words can also do just the opposite. Words when spoken can never be taken back but can sometimes be forgotten over time, maybe not entirely but parts of it usually.

Words when written on the other hand, has a similar effect. When words are written, sent or published and when read by the other party, they cannot be taken back or cannot be undone. Some can be edited and deleted but if someone screenshots what is written, it will be saved in their storage unless the screenshot is deleted. But digital evidence can still be retrieved for someone who knows how.

Nowadays, we spend most parts of our lives writing or rather, typing. Text messages, blogs or articles such as these, comments or quick messages are daily occurrences unless we choose to take a break from technology. Many times we type whatever that comes to mind and send them. But when it comes to jobs where emails and online publications are the primary form of communication tool, it is pretty crucial to think about what we type before we send or publish them. There are email and publishing etiquettes that provide guidance on the dos and don’ts, mostly so that we do not piss people off with what we send or publish. But not everyone cares.

I used to vet through emails from my team as part of my job before they were sent out. This is a particularly sticky thing to do when issues arise and when the sender made allegations based on emotion rather than facts. Emails or any written words for that matter, translates our emotions in ways that we may not realize.

There were days when we have disgruntled requests and the email was written with harsh words and full of caps, ending with exclamation marks. When it comes to email etiquette, I would prefer to look at writing etiquette. One of the main pointers was to be careful with the use of caps and exclamation marks, which represents shouting. From a professional level, it is unpleasant to read a ‘shouting’ sentence.

The reality is, whenever we type, words that flow are a representation of our emotion at that point in time, whether it is full of anger, full of sorrow or pure happiness. We may not see it at first and one important thing to do whenever we write is to take a breather first before coming back to the email. For example, when we are full of ego, what we type can be filled with ego too, sometimes bursting with ego. There are times when we think we are sharing information but by the mere choice of words and the way words are written it may read boastful.

The same goes with anger and frustration. Sometimes, when I read comments that are hurtful, I would wonder, did we really need to go there? What good does it do, other than bringing down ourselves to that level?

But I agree, we do need a channel to vent out our frustrations. We can’t keep everything bottled up or we can go insane. I guess if we truly needed to release some steam, we can write a diary, to rant and to pour it all out. A diary is for our eyes only and would cause no harm, unless someone reads the diary. Then, we can get a diary with a lock. That might work, right? Maybe, just maybe.

At work, we used to read each other’s emails before we send them out, particularly emails that needed to deliver a strong message across without sounding rude in situations whereby allegations were made against the team. This was one of the toughest things to do. We needed to sound professional yet direct, polite yet strong.  The words needed to be on-point but not cut like a knife. We do not want the receiving end to be upset out of spite but we do want them to feel that they should have thought it through before making accusations.

We had to train ourselves to write without beating round the bush. If it was a response to a question, we would need to include facts and numbers, and proof of why or where did we find the information to support our statements. An email can take a whole day to write as we work on our choice of words and way of writing. As tiring as it was, it was good that we have a tree to look at from our office window, just to rest our mind and our eyes for a quick while.

A great emphasis was put into what we write and how we write them because every email that was sent out can be used as proof against the work that we do if problems arise. The intonation, the choice of words needed to be diplomatic but stern. It was quite a tough balance to achieve sometimes.

I remembered the days when we would ask each other if our emails sound angry, if the message was clear, if we understood the words. We would try to put ourselves in the receiver’s shoes, and ask if the email made sense, would we be angry if we were to receive the email. Questions after questions would pop into our heads, to cross check, to double and triple check, to make sure that we write a proper email.

It is pretty much the same as if we were to write in a complaint on something that we are dissatisfied about. It is the very same question we ask ourselves, how would we want our complaint to be addressed. We for one would get upset with lack luster response and it was something we wouldn’t want to dig holes into. We would prefer our complaint be responded to with urgency and apologetically because the moment we read them, the fume that may have existed in our hearts would have diffused slightly and it would make things easier to deal with. Both parties would be happy and it can be a win-win situation.

When I think about it now, it was easier to look for answers, to find what was the root cause of problems, to analyze data, to calculate what was needed compared to writing to respond to issues. It is a question on our written words, on what we write and how do we write them. It is the choice of words and the way they are written that represent us as a person. How do we want to be represented?

Prompts from:https://writingexercises.co.uk/take-three-nouns.php

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