With remote work, email negotiations are probably unavoidable. To do it well, don’t expect a virtual back-and-forth to play out the same as an in-person negotiation. Virtual communication is different, and the physical separation and lack of visual cues can lead to misunderstandings and trust issues.

“Email messages tend to be more aggressive and self-interested. People have reduced feelings of social obligation in email interactions,” says negotiation advisor Jack Nasher on Forbes. “Visual anonymity and remote distance decrease the likelihood of loyalty to the negotiation (continuation norm), making it more likely that negotiators will exit the current negotiation.”

To ensure you’re negotiating effectively via email, make an effort to establish a personal rapport, as you would if you were meeting face to face. Lead things off by sharing something about yourself that’s not related to business. Or you could lead with humor.

“Email transactions containing humor tend to lead to increased trust and satisfaction levels, higher joint gains, and greater individual gains,” Nasher says.

It’s also important to be direct and to the point, since written communications can be misinterpreted. Before hitting send, reread your email to make sure your message comes across clearly.

“If there’s any doubt, save the mail as a draft and come back to reconsider before sending,” Nasher says.

Improve Your Content Marketing Efficiency

Interest is one thing; launching a full-scale marketing transformation is another. It can be overwhelming. Here's an article to help. https://t.co/X16sj6H7Lp

— Content Marketing Institute (@CMIContent) June 4, 2020

If you want your marketing team to be more efficient, add a visual element to your workflow.

“Visualizing the process step by step, including individual tasks, can shed light on your team’s day-to-day activities and draw attention to undesired scope creep that usually goes unnoticed” or distractions from lower-priority ad hoc tasks, says Content Marketing Institute contributor Alex Novkov. “You can apply it easily by putting a Kanban board in an accessible place in your office or setting up a digital project board using a platform like Trello.”

Other Links of Note

You can extend the learning and networking experience for virtual conference attendees with post-event activities, says a recent post from MemberSuite.

Want to be a good leader during a crisis? It requires more than just keeping the lights on, says Melissa Henley on CMSWire.

There are several ways to make your digital event stand out from the crowd, suggests Northstar Meetings Group.

(fizkes/iStock/Getty Images Plus)