To emoji or not to emoji?

If last year has taught us anything it is that the way we communicate will never be the same again, with various teams calls that included our children (whether we liked it or not). Both written and verbal communications have changed and many would say we have become less formal in our business communications. We have let down barriers, welcomed everyone into our home virtually, relaxed the dress code and with that relaxed the way in which we communicate with our clients, candidates and network.

One way many have relaxed their communication style is with the introduction of emojis across business platforms such as LinkedIn. The question is on #WorldEmojiDay is will we ever return to our more formal business communications or are emojis here to stay.

Emojis are now no longer limited to your personal communications, LinkedIn is full of colourful posts utilising emojis to stand out from the crowd and it’s now a question of when you will use them, not if. On #WorldEmojiDay we look at the benefits to introducing emojis into your personal and business communications.

The Benefits:

1. Eye catching – in a very busy world, the clever use of emojis can make you stand out from the crowd

2. Your audience - emojis can be great when appealing to a younger demographic

3. A picture tells a thousand words – emojis help you illustrate your point. They have the ability to create eye catching posts, but remember, just because emojis are available – does not mean you should always use them.

Here’s a few watch outs to look out for:

The Watch Outs:

1. Do not overuse – your communications still need to make sense and be easy to read and not cluttered with the overuse of emojis

2. Know your audience – if they expect more traditional/formal communications then respect that

3. Mirror your recipient, if they use emojis then you can introduce them into your responses 4.Avoid using emojis when the business relationship is new or when dealing with a more serious situation such as a complaint

Lets Talk

I'd love to hear what you think, do you use emojis, or avoid them at all costs?