DIE FREUDE AM TEXT

„Verba volant, scripta manent“ is an ancient Latin proverb, which originates from a speech by Caius Titus to the Roman Senate, inviting to prudence in writing because if words said verbally are easily forgotten, writings can always constitute incontrovertible documents.

There is also another interpretation of the old proverb. It seems, in fact, that according to some neoplatonic philosophers, the real meaning of it is that while written words are heavy and rigid, those said by voice can fly, i.e. they can be richer in meaning, evocative, capable of motivating and inspiring others. The Neoplatonists evocated the choice of Socrates, the Greek philosopher who left nothing written, but transmitted his teachings to his disciples only by voice.

In a world of digital natives, short text messages are an excellent compromise between something written and something said by voice. Here are some practical tips to make the best use of text messages exchanged via smartphone to communicate between colleagues:

1) Less is more! Select the content you want to convey and focus on it; too much content at once can cause confusion

2) Always use a friendly and empathetic tone, don’t forget to start the message with a „hello“ or „good morning“ and end with a „thank you“

3) Reread carefully what you wrote before sending as auto-correct functions can play tricks on you

4) Don’t be afraid to use emoticons.  They can be a useful tool to give warmth to your messages and make them more sympathetic, also to reduce excesses of formality

5) Don’t be too focused on control. It is not important to check if your message has already been received or read. Give your colleagues time to respond in the time they consider most appropriate, obviously within the deadlines