Digital Body Language Signals You May be Sending Even if You Don’t Intend To

Our digital body language is made up of the cues and signals that contextualize our digital conversations. Let’s look at some specific examples.

In traditional office settings, we show that we are actively listening by nodding our heads, making eye contact, tilting our heads to one side, and so on. In a digital world, those cues are only sometimes visible, if at all.

Even on video calls, it can be hard to see facial expressions and nods in the small display boxes. Instead, we show that we are actively listening — or not, by using digital responses such as praising someone’s input in an email, using the “like” or “thumbs up” reaction on a text message, or making a detailed comment or question rather than sending *only* a thumbs up response. Even the quickness with which we respond can signal whether we’re paying attention to the conversation and giving it the attention it merits.

What about something as basic as a friendly smile in the break room? In person, smiling is contagious. Research has shown that watching someone else smile causes a sympathetic reaction in our own brains. That’s why we tend to smile back or feel a stronger connection to someone who has smiled at us first.