When I first came across this New York Times (NYT) article, What Your Email Signature Says About You, I immediately categorized it as a clickbait story. Upon further review I discovered there was much more behind it.
While I personally refrain from adding quotes, jokes, scriptures, social media links or other items – and quite frankly discount lengthy and promotional email signatures that take up valuable space – I discovered I may be overlooking an opportunity to build rapport, display personality and promote myself, within reason.
However, when it comes to professional emails I tend to draw a more conservative line. Perhaps I could learn to live a little more by way of my email signature but I certainly do not agree with overloading the reader with unnecessary information or links that take away from the intent of the message, including emojis, awards, links to books or anything else you’re selling other than your ideas.
Regardless of preference, David Austern, clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at N.Y.U. Langone Health, affirms that it’s normal to be nervous about writing emails and the potential misperception of the intended tone. Austern reminds us of the nature of our approach, in that we quickly craft emails from behind our laptops and mobile screens, distracted by myriad things happening around us. All the while, these messages have high stakes.
The article summarizes Austern’s guidance and likens our internal thought process to the following: “We want or need something; we’re creating a digital footprint we hope will stand in for the real thing — ourselves. So how do you do it better? (And if someone hates your signature, do they hate you, too?).”
Considering that so much of business and personal communications are happening by way of emails, and other digital platforms, and that most people refrain from showing too much personality over email by risk of it being perceived inaccurately, myself included, it makes it difficult to get a sense of the person on the other side.
Like most things in life, balance is key. The NYT article illustrates a few different takes on how you can use your signature to benefit your career. One of the most common, and nonintrusive, approaches is the “sent from my iPhone” disclaimer. Research shows people are more forgiving of typos when this is included. Some of the clever plays on this generic message mentioned in the article include, “Sent from the road on a tiny robot,” and “Sent from an undisclosed location.”
To embrace this new frontier of opportunity, the one approach I saw in the article that I considered entertaining is connected to personal values. I am a firm believer of work-life balance, and I am very fortunate to work for a company that recognizes the value in this. This is why the example in the article about TV producer Shonda Rhimes resonates with me: “Please Note: I will not engage in work emails after 7 p.m. or on weekends. IF I AM YOUR BOSS, MAY I SUGGEST: PUT DOWN YOUR PHONE.”
It’s incredibly powerful. As Samantha Ettus, founder and CEO of Park Place Payments, reflected, “She’s setting the tone for work-life balance in her organization. It’s an opportunity to say, ‘This is how I manage my busy life, and you can do it, too.’”
Let us all take a page out of Rhimes’ book and embrace the idea of expressing more personality in our emails – you never know what doors it could open. Or at least, dip your toe in the water and try one of the ideas included in the NYT article.