Digital Body Language

Named as one of the top management professionals around the world by Global Gurus, she is the founder and CEO of Cotential—a company that has helped leaders and teams leverage twenty-first-century collaboration skills globally. Her writing has appeared in dozens of publications, including Fast Company and Harvard Business Review. She has an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School, an MBA from MIT Sloan, and a BS from the Wharton School.

Erica Dhawan is a globally recognized leadership expert and keynote speaker helping organizations and leaders innovate faster and further, together. Erica has spoken, worldwide, to organizations and enterprises, from the World Economic Forum and Fortune 500 companies to associations, sports teams, and government institutions. Named as one of the top

Design for Meeting Engagement

diversity of backgrounds on their teams.

better to discuss these topics up front rather than pretend they’re not there.

cuss Differences
If you ignore gender, generational, or cultural differences, they’ll simply grow in size. It’s

Don’t be Afraid to Discuss Differences

In part three, we explored the many ways our gender, generation, and cultural background can affect our perception of digital body language cues. Below are a set of best practices that apply to all these demographics.

using an informal tone unless they first go the more casual route.
Avoid using abbreviations and emojis that may not translate to the other person’s language or culture.

SHOW EMPATHY ACROSS CULTURES

Humanize the person on the other end of the screen by using a mixture of personal (where appropriate) and professional check-ins as tools to get to know them.
Even if you are texting or emailing a longtime colleague or a loyal customer, be wary of