"Business leaders and employees make dozens of communication choices each day, from what to say to how to say it. In a recent research paper, we (three academics) focus on one such small decision-whether to use exclamation points-as a window into how people navigate the mundane choices that characterize so much of day-to-day communication. Cheryl Wakslak is an associate professor of management and organization at USC Marshall School of Business."
"Her research focuses on how people interact and communicate with one another and the role of gender, distance, and technology in these dynamics. Yidan (Dani) Yin is an assistant professor of management and organization at the Smeal College of Business, Penn State University. Her research examines how individuals navigate novelty and uncertainty in organizational settings, focusing on the cognitive and social processes that enhance adaptation, decision-making, and interpersonal relationships."
Business leaders and employees make dozens of communication choices daily, spanning content, tone, and punctuation. A single decision—whether to use exclamation points—serves as a lens into how people manage mundane, routine communication. Social factors such as gender, physical distance, and the affordances of technology influence interaction and message framing. Individuals confronting novelty and uncertainty rely on cognitive and social processes to adapt, make decisions, and maintain interpersonal relationships. Digital innovations further modify consumer behavior and organizational communicative practices. Accumulated small choices in everyday messaging contribute to broader workplace interaction patterns and norms.
Read at Harvard Business Review
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