Give Others The Benefit of the Doubt

In our daily communications, we get messages like this all the time:

“What does this mean???????” — Is it a simple question or an accusation?

“We need to talk.” — Is it as ominous as it sounds or a meeting request?

“CAN YOU SEND ME THIS TODAY” — Is all caps implying frustration or a simple all CAPS due to fast texting?

I think we can all acknowledge that communicating in our modern world is challenging. But having compassion for ourselves and others can convert angry reactions into positive action. Learning to remember the human behind the screen first, before focusing on the task is at the crux of digital grace.

Recently, I worked with a client who would never get back to me on time with the training schedule I needed to deliver my work. I became frustrated with her because I assumed she was lazy or lacked interest in the project. It was only until I worked on a different project a few months later with her that I realized that her boss simply did not respond to emails at all. She would have to text him or wait until a weekly call to get answers to simple things. It gave me the empathy I needed to understand her delays. I realized I should have given her the benefit of the doubt upfront.