Sep 8, 2022 - Economy & Business
The cost of miscommunication
- Eleanor Hawkins, author of Axios Communicators
Tone is often lost in email and text — and miscommunication across teams is costly, according to a recent Loom study.
Why it matters: 91% of workers say their messages have been misunderstood or misinterpreted, while 1 in 5 say they have been reprimanded, demoted or fired because of it.
- Roughly half of workers overthink the communications they send and 62% say worrying about miscommunication at work affects their overall mental health.
Zoom out: All this worrying, over-explaining and punctuating is costing U.S. businesses at least $128 billion each year, according to Loom.
Yes, but: In this digital world, how can workers ensure their messages aren’t misinterpreted?
- "Reading carefully is the new listening. Writing clearly is the new empathy. And a phone or video call is worth a thousand emails," writes Erica Dhawan, author of "Digital Body Language."
- "Empower your teams to be intentional with their communication. Streamline meetings with agendas and have clear objectives," advises Zeb Evans, CEO and founder of ClickUp.
- Plus, don’t forget to reiterate the “how,” “why” and action items for every conversation or email chain, says Mike Lantzy, CEO and co-founder of Soundbite.