Beyond Text: Emojis Shaping New Norms in Business Communication
Emojis are slowly being incorporated into daily business communications. Discover how they revolutionize business communication and enhance engagement and efficiency across diverse contexts.
- Emojis express a person’s emotions in a conversation. They are now becoming a staple in business communication.
- This article discusses the role of emojis in enhancing employee engagement and reducing conflict. It also presents expert opinions on when and how to use emojis appropriately in professional settings.
July is the month of celebrations beyond the traditional 4th of July. World Emoji Day celebrates the digital icons that have become integral to modern communication. Emojis are similar to emoticons, but they are images rather than typography. It took nearly a century for them to be introduced into programming languages. A Japanese artist, Shigetaka Kurita, invented emojis in 1999 to express information on mobile devices in a simple way.
Emoji became popular in 2012 with the release of iOS 6 and the introduction of the emoji keyboard to iPhone users. Emojis quickly gained popularity on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Emojis in Business Communications
According to the Customer Thermometer report, emojis are now becoming a staple of business communications. They enhance employee engagement, speed interactions, and reduce conflict. They are no longer the preserve of the instant-messaging youth.
Emojis have been the most important improvements in human language since the written word, not just a failure of formality. Emojis have become an important part of textual communication for Generation Z, who grew up in a digital environment. The use of emojis in business communication has long been questioned. Even though 80.69% of the world’s population owns a smartphone, sending a smiley-face email to the employer could result in a negative or positive response; it might go either way. To celebrate this day, Spiceworks asked leaders worldwide to share their ideas, experiences, and recommendations with our audience. Here is what they had to say:.
Expert Insights on the Use of Emoji in Business Communications
1. Jennifer Dulski, CEO and founder of Rising Team
Here’s what Jennifer shares on the appropriate use of emojis in business communications: “Forming workplace friendships is important to workers’ happiness and productivity, and using emojis for internal business communications can help people forge those connections. Content like gifs and emojis enables people to show their personalities when in-person facetime is limited due to a hybrid or remote environment. By incorporating emojis in messages, people can ensure their writing isn’t misinterpreted. For example, everyone’s use of exclamation points on platforms like Slack can differ, but someone who doesn’t use them can come across as uninterested, even if that isn’t the intention. Adding an emoji is an easy way to show how someone feels and then remove that confusion.
On the other hand, it’s important to remember that there are times when emojis aren’t a fit. For example, a performance review is not the time to use emojis. For any situation, feel out the tone of the environment and read the [virtual] room. What your gut tells you is usually right.”
Jennifer further adds, “Using emojis in shorter and quicker communications is most appropriate. For example, reacting to a Slack message with an emoji is common and even expected in the modern workplace, whereas in a long-form email, emojis don’t have a natural fit. Emojis should be used to convey emotion in communications that may have happened live in past workplaces where we sat just a few feet from our colleagues.
While using emojis in asynchronous communications is a great way to build connections with colleagues, exploring other ways to connect with your peers and team is also important. Building connections can help create a more cohesive and collaborative team environment. Remember, a little effort in getting to know your team goes a long way in strengthening team dynamics!”
See More: The Evolution of Workplace Communications
2. Omri Argaman, CMO/CGO of Zoomd
Omri Argaman says, “Emojis can reduce character counts and make messages more efficient. What’s critical for brands when using emojis is to avoid using them in serious communication situations, like terms of service or when writing about disruptions of service, and to be consistent in using emojis across customer communications scenarios.”
3. John McCartney, APR, Principal of Jmac PR
John explains, “Emojis can enhance business communications but should be used judiciously. In roles like mine, where strong client relationships are key, I prioritize delivering expected PR results to build trust and rapport. Once established, integrating emojis and GIFs into communications like Slack can be fitting, given its casual nature. However, I recommend avoiding emojis in emails, which generally require a more formal tone.”
4. Susannah Hammond, Senior Regulatory Intelligence Expert, Theta Lake
Susannah Hammond says, “Emojis are an inherent part of modern communications, but they must be treated with care in a business context. Using emojis to illustrate or emphasize a point is commonplace, and organizations must be aware that the same rules apply to communication by emojis as to other communications. That brings the risks associated with communications with the public regarding misleading content, investor protection, dissemination of potentially material non-public information, and the challenges of capturing the full context of an emoji-laden conversation. Equally, there are potential issues with emojis being used within a firm with the potential for collusion, misconduct, and other socially unacceptable behaviors.
Firms need to ensure that emojis are expressly covered in the suite of preventive and detective controls in place as part of the governance framework and in the guidance given to employees on all forms of communication. Firms also need to ensure that they can robustly capture emojis (and GIFs, edits, reactions, and deletions) in their original context so that the meaning of any communication is apparent upon retrieval and surveillance.
Emojis are neither good nor bad; they are simply another form of communication that firms need to ensure is within their strategic approach to communications, says Susannah Hammond.”
Embrace the Emoji Revolution
Emojis have certainly changed how we communicate digitally. In personal and professional situations, these little icons aid in communicating emotions, reducing misunderstandings, and promoting connections. As we continue to navigate remote and hybrid work environments, emojis may fill the gap caused by the lack of face-to-face interactions and make our messages more engaging and relevant.
Looking ahead, emojis will evolve with technology. They may become even more dynamic and engaging and provide us with ways to express ourselves. On this World Emoji Day, let us recognize the significant impact these emojis have had on our communication, making digital interactions more human and profound.
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