How to practice mindful communication at work.

I know, it seems impossible. Equating mindfulness and work. How could you possibly slow down when emails are blasting at you faster than a paintball fight? When messaging platforms, designed to solve your communication conundrums, are actually in some cases amplifying them?

But here’s the flip side. Emails that are so riddled with spelling mistakes that you can’t decipher their meaning. I mean, it can be pretty funny at times, but mostly it’s counterproductive and kind of disheartening. Glaring misspellings and lack of punctuation, emails completely ignored, meetings where everyone is distracted, unedited PowerPoint presentations, the list goes on. The bottom line is, intentionally or not, our distracted communication sends a message. And that message is that we don’t care.

Obviously that’s not true. It’s a symptom of the crazy, overdrive lives we lead and no one is to blame. But maybe it’s time for us to hit pause, slow down and be more mindful of how we communicate – because doesn’t the quality and strength of our relationships directly impact our success in business (and life)?

You hear the term “mindfulness” a lot today, offered as the antidote to the multitasking mayhem that leaves us depleted, exhausted, frustrated and frankly unproductive. It’s the difference between being on auto-pilot and rushing throughout our day versus being present and thoughtful in what we do.

I would argue that the quality of our interpersonal communication still matters. How we interact with people can improve productivity, engagement and culture – especially in leadership positions. Consciously or not, people react to us based on how our communication is perceived; They make inferences and form judgments that color their responses.

I think it’s time to step back, take a deep breath and learn to be more mindful of our communication. In other words, slow down, be present and interact thoughtfully and carefully with people. It’s important. It shows respect for our colleagues, shows we take pride in our relationships and in the end will make us more productive and happy.

Here are 5 basic tips for starting to practice more mindful communication at work. For a more comprehensive approach, check out this post from mindful.org 10 Ways to be More Mindful at Work.

1. Proof everything. Spell check won’t catch the difference between there and their, that’s your responsibility. Never, ever, ever hit send without reading through your communication AT LEAST once!

2. Think about your tone. Remember when you were taught never to say, “Gimme that crayon!”? It applies to adult work life as well. Remember to greet someone, say please, thank you and when you are writing something put yourself in the recipient’s shoes. What is your tone like? Could you craft your communication so that someone is more likely to listen?

3. Formatting is not just for designers. One long run-on paragraph will not get read. Take the time to break up your content with bold sub-heads, bullet points, and you can even use a different color to highlight the main ideas. It’s worth the time and effort!

4. Keep it simple! Refine your message, edit it and edit it again, especially if it’s important. Simplify and get to the point, keep the rambling to a minimum. Alternately, don’t assume someone can read your mind, make sure you tell a complete story.

5. Slow down! In the rush to get things done (and off our plate) we make mistakes, we do things the same old way, we alienate our allies. It’s counterproductive! Slowing down will help you be more thoughtful, innovative, resourceful, and productive!