Making a good first impression in the world of remote work
They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression. But to what degree does this also hold true for emails, text messaging or videoconferences? Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) and American University carried out a literature review of 124 studies on virtual impression management – virtual impressions and how people make them. They created a framework that identifies three categories of virtual impression management behaviour – verbal, non-verbal and meta (e.g. a delayed reply) – that affect people’s impressions of us.
Putting the best virtual foot forward at the office
Our online personas are developed from what we say, how we say it, as well as when and how we communicate. The review also revealed that likeability and competence are the two main criteria others use to judge us. The findings were published in the ‘Journal of Management’. “Impressions can be really sticky. When you first meet someone, you form a variety of impressions … First impressions in business contexts are particularly important. Interviews are first impressions,” explained co-author Andrew Brodsky, assistant management professor at UT Austin, in a news release. “When you reach out to a potential customer or client, they’re going to get first impressions, which help determine whether they respond to your email or whether they decide to buy your product.”
Navigating the digital workplace
He said that using emoticons and emojis to communicate is a mixed blessing. “On one hand, they often increased feelings of warmth and likeability. On the other hand, when it came to perceptions of intelligence, it was perhaps negative, because it made the person seem less intelligent or competent. So, it’s nuanced. They make us more likeable but risk making us seem less intelligent.” He added that email response times influence our online personas. “Timely responses matter. Being slow to reply has been shown to decrease perceptions of trust and competence. That said, you can relax a bit, as research also shows that people overestimate how quickly they need to respond to messages. The takeaway is that you should aim for a happy medium.” Asst Prof. Brodsky believes his study can benefit employers. “It can help people be more objective in how they evaluate their employees. Oftentimes, people evaluate each other’s performance based on: ‘Do I want to get a beer with this person? Do I like this person?’ We don’t realize that we’re making those biased evaluations. So, one of the things researchers can do is help employers or managers or executives understand how they are forming impressions and why those impressions are biased. Second, for those employers who are interested in training and helping employees improve, this is a good framework for providing guidance about how to make a better impression with customers and co-workers.” He has a message for employees, too. “When someone’s working virtually or remotely, the only way their boss gets to see them or observe them is through their online interaction. That impression you create, through how you communicate and what you communicate, becomes that much more important.” So, remember to keep these factors in mind next time you’re writing that crucial email or jumping on a video call with colleagues, clients or customers.
Keywords
work, interaction, impression, first impression, email, virtual impression, virtual impression management, likeability, competence, emoticon, emoji