Page 30 - GSABA Builder Brief - February 2020 issue

30 FEBRUARY 2020 | GREATER SAN ANTONIO BUILDERS ASSOCIATION
Netiquette 3.0
Where Common Courtesy Meets the Internet By Carol Morgan Denim Marketing
FEATURE ARTICLE
Thinking about netiquette is necessary since business communications have evolved and become internet based. Telephone and snail mail are no longer the primary forms of business communication and texting, instant messaging and social media have taken precedent.
A question that many people ask is how do the various generations like to communicate? Is the answer the same when communicating with Baby Boomers, Gen X or Gen Z?
Let’s take a look at the various generations and make some generalizations about how each generation likes to communicate.
Gen Z
Millennials
• Direct, visual and succinct
• Communicate with images and
• Hate talking on the phone
• Prefer texting or messaging apps
• Like thought-out responses
multitask across multiple screens • Short attention spans,
afforded by texts, unlike personal
communicate in bite-sized snacks with punchy headlines, emoticons, photos and images
conversations or phone calls
• Will use email although it is seen
Gen X
Boomers
• Adapt quickly to new technology
• Grew up with the emergence of the PC, lived through the dot-com bust
• Prefer face-to-face meetings
• Talk on the phone
• Use email, video conference, text,
and the introduction of the cell phone • Can be reached with a variety of
etc. – varies by individual
• Don’t underestimate their tech
technologies
• The most technologically versatile
knowledge
• Stay accessible and visible
as less urgent than a text
Above all, when communicating in business, it is always best to ask how someone wants to communicate. Find out if they prefer text, email or phone and what is best to use in an emergency. Once you know that, follow the eight rules of business communication:
1. Know what you are going to say before you say it
5. Don’t go on tangents or lose focus 6. Include a call to action (again,
2. Less is more (KISS - keep it simple)
3. Use bullet points
4. What’s in it for me? (WIIFM)
what’s in it for me?)
7. Edit, Spell Check & Review once more 8. Follow up