Professionalism

Workplace professionalism refers to the conduct, behavior, and attitude expected of individuals in a professional setting. It encompasses a range of traits and practices that contribute to a positive and productive work environment.

Ultimately, professionalism is about being respectful, accountable, and engaged.

• Being respectful means acknowledging and trying to fit into organizational norms and traditions. This means paying attention to how people dress, talk to each other, and interact in the workplace and conducting yourself in a way that is compatible.
• Accountability involves having a commitment to one’s work, taking responsibility for one’s actions and decisions, and ensuring reliability and integrity in the workplace.
• Engagement, means taking a proactive attitude towards tasks and challenges. Engaged employees are more likely to ask questions, contribute innovative ideas, support their colleagues, and strive for improvement. Together, these qualities create a professional atmosphere where everyone can thrive and achieve their best.

A lot of your professionalism will be conveyed through communication. Remember though that understanding comes from the words we speak but also the tone and non-verbal communication we share.

Researcher Albert Mehrabian (1981) conducted an important study on this topic where he found that messages, especially those that express feelings, are interpreted primarily through non-verbal cues. Mehrabian’s research found that 55% of a listener’s interpretation of meaning comes primarily from body language (smiling, frowning, arms crossed etc.) and 38% from tone (volume, pitch, rhythm, etc.). The study found that words only accounted for 7% of a listener’s interpretation. Not only do non-verbal cues help people interpret verbal messages they also help pace the flow of conversation (Goleman, 2006). For example, a person might lean forward if they want to interject something in a meeting, or they might give a shrug or raised eyebrow to signal a lack of understanding and a request for more information.

If you are working remotely the importance of clear communication is enhanced. There may be less opportunities to experience social context, nonverbal cues, and tone needed to understand others accurately and to be understood. When working remotely you will have less ability to overhear a conversation, observe an interaction between others, note a facial expression, or gain a feeling for what’s going on through the office “buzz.” This is why taking initiative to ask how people are, and initiate questions and clarifications is essential in remote work.

Communicating your Professionalism

Communication is complex. Here are three common areas where students often go wrong in their placements:

1. Inappropriate Writing: This includes issues like unclear messaging, over familiarity, poor grammar, being too verbose, or not tailoring the message to the audience.
2. Improper Engagement in Video Calls: This can involve not maintaining eye contact, tone that does not convey enthusiasm, not using your camera, or not actively participating in the conversation.
3. Improper or unendorsed use of Generative AI like ChatGPT: this can impact brand voice, trust, credibility, and privacy.

Let’s dig into this a little more.

Media richness theory, introduced by Richard L. Daft and Robert H. Lengel in 1986, is a framework used to describe a communication medium’s ability to reproduce the information sent over it. In other words, channel ‘richness’ refers to the amount of nonverbal communication provided and the immediacy of feedback.

• Rich: Face-to-face communication and video conferencing and phone calls would be “rich” channels of communication
• Lean: Emails and written documents that lack facial expressions and physical gestures as well as immediate feedback would be considered “lean.”

It might be easy to assume that a rich form of communication is always best however every communication channel has benefits and drawbacks. Meeting in person is the richest form of communication but it takes time and logistics. Video conferencing is also fairly rich, but it can take away some of the flexibility of being remote and can also lead to “Zoom fatigue.”

When choosing leaner modes of communication such as written text there can be delays in feedback (due to time zones or other meetings) and the words can seem cold or distant without more context. Leaner modes of communication can be a great choice when people know each other well or when it is useful to have a record documenting and building on ideas.

Your goal should always be to convey information in an appropriate, accurate, and efficient format. Also don’t forget the value of chit chat to help build social understanding and context that help people understand each other.

Now let’s take a closer look.

Writing

When considering a written form of communication one of your first steps is deciding whether it should be formal or informal. Informal communication will more closely resemble how you speak and might include slang, abbreviations, and expressions of emotion. Formal writing is more serious and follows conventional writing rules. Deciding which type of writing to use will depend on the audience, the context, and the topic of communication. A clear writing style is always welcomed.

Here are some writing tips, drawn from the writing expectations used at Amazon, that are useful for anyone communicating in a professional setting.

• Use short sentences, ideally, fewer than 15 words to improve clarity.
• Cut common phrases. For example, a lengthy “due to the fact” can be replaced with “because.”
• Replace adjectives with data if applicable. If you write descriptors like “most” or “the majority” see if you can replace it with actual numbers.
• Avoid adverbs. If you spot an adverb, remove it. For example, replace “increased massively” with “added 300 new subscribers.”
• Cut acronyms, jargon, and colloquialisms. The first time you mention an acronym, give the long-form first and the acronym in parentheses. For example, say World Health Organization (WHO), instead of just WHO. After that, you can use the acronym within the same communication.  Say “technology” instead of the more jargon-y “tech.” Avoid colloquial (i.e., overly familiar or informal) language. Say “provide updates” instead of “give a rundown.”
• Be objective. Objectivity injects confidence. For example, replace “I think this change is working” with “our new approach led to a 5% increase.”
• Try the “So What?” test. Before sending anything re-read it and ask “So, what?” Does your content provide value? Will your audience understand? Are you sharing enough context?

Video Conferencing

We have just learned why nonverbal cues are important and how video calls can be a rich channel of a communication. That said, each workplace will have different expectations and practices for video conferencing including whether cameras are expected to be on or off. Make sure that you understand and follow these expectations as closely as possible. Remember when cameras are off you will be missing visual cues but will retain some verbal ones such as tone and rhythm so pay close attention to these. When your camera is on, be conscious of your facial expressions but don’t spend all your focus looking at your own image as this can signal disinterest. Consider the tone of your voice. Like your facial expression, your tone can depict negative or positive emotions as well as signal interest. When video conferencing, it may be tempting to multitask. Not paying attention can signal a lack of respect and professionalism and it is also a missed opportunity to be taking in other communication cues.

To some people your appearance may be a nonverbal cue for your level of respect, professionalism, and cultural fit (e.g., are you in sweats on a video call while working from home while your colleagues are in business attire?). Unprofessional clothing can signal a lack of seriousness in your job to some employers. Make sure you know what your organization expects.

Remote Work

If you are working remotely, you must be especially attentive to your communication. It is useful to err on the side of over-communication and share concerns, priorities, and talk about work styles to help co-workers interpret silence and understand implied meanings (at least until you become more in tune with your new organization).

Use of Generative AI (like ChatGPT)

As you engage in your internship, you’re likely to encounter various tasks that may be new or challenging. Generative AI (GAI) tools, like ChatGPT, can be tempting to use for assistance. They can help you brainstorm ideas, draft emails, or even write reports. However, it’s important to approach the use of GAI with ethics and caution. While these tools offer significant benefits, they also come with risks that can affect your performance, your reputation, and the organization you’re working for. Also think deeply about the purpose of a placement. It is to learn and gain mentorship from others. If you are using GenAI to mask your knowledge you can lose in the end.

The Benefits and Limitations of Generative AI

Generative AI has the potential to make your job easier, particularly when handling unstructured tasks like drafting a document or generating creative ideas. It can reduce the cognitive load by offering suggestions, helping you get started, or breaking down complex tasks into manageable steps. However, it’s essential to understand that while GAI can save time, it requires significant human oversight. The output generated by GAI may not always be accurate or aligned with the tone and voice expected by your organization. This means you can’t just rely on the AI to do the job for you; you need to carefully review and edit the content to ensure it meets the standards of your workplace. As GAI continues to evolve, it may become more sophisticated, but for now, it still requires significant human interaction to produce quality work.

Ethics and Policy

Before using Generative AI (GAI) during your internship, it’s absolutely essential to consider the ethical implications and organizational policies surrounding its use. Not all companies allow or encourage the use of AI tools, and it’s your responsibility to ensure that you’re following the rules. First, check with your supervisor or consult the company’s policy documents to confirm whether the use of GAI is permitted. Some organizations may have strict guidelines about when and how AI can be used, particularly for sensitive or confidential information. If GAI is allowed, ask for clarification on what types of content it can be applied to—whether it’s limited to brainstorming and drafting or if it’s permissible for more formal communications, social media, or reports.

Be mindful of privacy concerns, especially when dealing with personal or sensitive information. Remember, even if GAI is permitted, it should be used responsibly and thoughtfully. Misusing GAI could lead to ethical breaches, compromising trust and your professional reputation.

The Importance of Brand Voice, Accuracy, and Bias

One of the key concerns with using GAI in a professional setting is maintaining the right voice, accuracy, and avoiding bias. In your internship, you’re representing the organization, and how you communicate reflects on both you and the company. If your communications sound robotic, uses the patterns that are obviously generative AI or if they include inaccuracies or biased language, it can immediately be labelled AI and not be trusted. This can damage your relationship with supervisors and damage the organization’s reputation and your credibility.

Our research (in press) shows that people dislike communications that obviously come from AI. They prefer to feel like they’re engaging with a real person. If it’s clear that a message was AI-generated, it can undermine trust and engagement. This is especially important in a professional setting where trust and authenticity are crucial. Therefore, while it might be okay to use GAI as a tool to assist you, it’s vital that the final product feels human and reflects time and effort.

By approaching GAI with caution and responsibility, you can enhance your work without compromising your integrity or the reputation of your organization. Remember, GAI is a tool to assist you, not a substitute for your LEARNING, MENTORING, skills and judgment. ALWAYS CHECK WITH YOUR ORGANIZATION BEFORE USING IT.

As you join a new organization be especially clear with your communication. You want to share your professionalism by signaling interest, and enthusiasm. You also want to make sure that you communicate what you are doing and what you need and ask questions of others in turn. Always assume positive intent when trying to understand the communication of others.