Creating a professional tone when you communicate with others while working is one of the most important things you can do. Having a professional tone, or “watching your tone” can really help you avoid tough situations and mitigate any problem situations that could pop up.
It can be hard to maintain this professionalism especially in the heat of the moment, but trust me, remaining professional helps even if the situation escalates.
Don’t Skimp on Kindness
Have you ever heard the phrase, “Kill them with kindness”?
That’s pretty much the core of this part of your tone. The idea is to stay in a mental state and tone of kindness when responding. To demonstrate kindness, think of how someone was rude to you.
What would the nicest thing to say be? It’s probably not going to be how you want to initially respond.
The same case applies when you work with someone you like and someone you don’t like. Essentially, it doesn’t matter how much you dislike a person, staying kind and thinking through your responses as best you can are going to maintain that professional tone.
Be Clear and Direct
There are a few parts to this one; equipment, language, and enunciation.
When it comes to equipment, you want to have access to items that aren’t going to muffle your voice, a keyboard is also generally handy and that’s about it. You want to make sure that your equipment works until it is time to call IT.
The next part you have to be self-aware about. Slipping into other languages or using colloquialisms isn’t generally seen as professional. Depending on your business, local language might be allowed though. Otherwise, it’s best to leave any bi-lingual communication to the professionals such as those at Global Messaging.
Don’t Overuse Jargon
If you aren’t sure what jargon is, think of it this way: a group of cat people are talking about a clowder around someone who only knows about dogs and packs. At that point, the word ‘clowder’ is jargon or shared language between people of the same group that others might not be aware of.
Even if the person you are communicating with works at the same business, they may not have the same jargon or they may not know all the jargon just yet. To remain professional, only start to use more jargon if the other person in the conversation does the same.
Remain Confident
No matter what department you work in and how a hierarchy is established, remain confident. Even if you aren’t sure of something that is being discussed, ask your questions with confidence!
The only thing to really watch on this is that you don’t come across as aggressive. Many people interpret confidence as aggression and even patronizing. It’s pretty crazy how a phone, text, or even video communication can lead to all sorts of interpretations to tone.
Don’t Be Passive Aggressive
If you feel attacked by this one, good! Passive aggression is not only a toxic work habit, it is also a great way to create a problem instead of solve a problem. Remember, remaining professional helps people come to an agreement with as few bumps as possible.
This is where the tactic of thinking through what you are going to say and what your intent is is really going to come in handy. If you have a hard time reading tone, or understanding your own tone, take some time to record yourself and listen to how you sound. It can be pretty helpful!
Ask for Help
If all else fails and you are really having a hard time grasping a professional tone, you have some great resources all around you. Have you talked to your supervisor? Have you talked with your co-workers?
It’s not that hard to copy the text or discuss a conversation with someone while leaving out personal information. If there is someone that you trust at work, take time to talk with them and work through the situation. Think about a few of these questions:
- How did I understand the other person?
- Was I tense?
- Where can I improve my word use?
- What could be said that might have smoothed out the situation more?
Conclusion
Business communication and maintaining a professional tone are some of the hardest things to do. People can be rude, not follow the same guidelines of professionalism, and so much more. There are honestly some really rotten people.
When you are working for a business and communicating with others as a representative of the company, you are going to have to remain professional. Just remember, you can still stick to the rules of the organization while being kind. Don’t be afraid to practice or ask for help either.
