6.3: Texting and Instant Messaging

ENL1004 Course Learning Outcomes

Target icon

    • Write professional documents that are clear, concise, correct, and visually engaging (1).
    • Compose a variety of academic and vocation-related documents tailored to specific audiences and purposes. (1.2).
    • Edit work according to grammar conventions, document requirements, and needs of the audience. (1.3).
    • Adapt tone, style, and language to meet the needs of a variety of audiences (1.4).
    • Incorporate visual elements to support communication objectives as required (1.5).
    • Identify the value, limitations, and hazards of Generative AI and other transformative technologies (4.4).

Whatever digital device you use, written communication in the form of Short Message Service (SMS), or texting, has been a convenient and popular way to connect since the 1990s. Instant messaging (IMing) apps like Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger have increased the options people have to send and respond to brief written messages in real time when talking on the phone would otherwise be inconvenient. In business, texting and IMing on smartphones and on chat platforms such as MS Teams via an organization’s intranet and Microsoft 365 licence are especially advantageous for hashing out details precisely in writing so that they can be referred to later. Texting and IMing are not useful for long or complicated messages but are great for connecting while on the go or for quick back-and-forth exchanges. However, consider your audience and company by choosing words, terms, or abbreviations that will deliver your message most effectively using these communication tools.

To help with this, let’s review the advantages, disadvantages, and occasions for texting and using instant or direct messaging (IMing or DMing) given earlier in Table 2.3 on channel selection.

Table 2.3 Excerpt: Text and instant/direct message (IM/DM)

Advantages Disadvantages Expectations Appropriate Use
  • Enables the rapid exchange of concise written messages
  • Can be done quietly so as to not be overheard
  • Inexpensive
  • Autocomplete and autocorrect features help achieve efficiencies in typing speed and spelling
  • Nonverbal characters such as emojis can clarify tone and complexity of feeling
  • Plenty of instant message applications are available, such as Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger, as well as MS Teams within organizations that have Microsoft 365 licences
  • Often used to avoid human contact when telephone or in-person communication is available and more appropriate
  • Encourages informality with lazy abbreviations, acronyms, poor grammar, and lack of punctuation
  • Can be more time-consuming to compose messages with only two thumbs (despite efficiencies gained with the autocomplete feature) on a mobile device compared to typing with 10 fingers on a tactile computer keyboard
  • Can be misinterpreted for tone when used to communicate complex ideas
  • May undermine your credibility in certain situations if you use emojis as nonverbals to clarify tone
  • Gives the illusion of privacy: texts exist on servers and can thus be retrieved by third parties even if deleted by both sender and receiver
  • Tempts users with poor impulse control to text recklessly while driving or walking, or rudely in front of people when interacting with them in person
  • Respond immediately or as soon as possible, since the choice to text or IM/DM is usually for rapid exchange of information
  • Be patient if the recipient doesn’t respond immediately; they may be busy with real-life tasks
  • Proofread when used for professional purposes as confusion due to writing errors can be costly when acted upon immediately
  • Use only when safe to do so; never text while driving because the distraction turns your vehicle into a lethal weapon; avoid texting while walking because inattention to your surroundings makes you an annoyance to other pedestrians
  • Use for exchanging short messages quickly with someone physically distant
  • Get an information exchange in writing for reference later
  • Use when confidentiality isn’t a top priority
  • Use only when relatively alone and not operating machinery—i.e., when you aren’t required to pay attention to the people around you, your surroundings, or a complex and/or potentially dangerous task such as driving

Most instant or direct messaging during office work in a business or organization involves the use of chat platforms such as MS Teams for internal communications. These are great for quick exchanges that must be written down for later reference, as illustrated in Fig. 6.3 where a sales rep reaches out to a manager to get approval for a negotiated adjustment to a sales agreement.

MS Teams chat exchange where a sales rep seeks approval for a customer discount
Figure 6.3: Use IM chat platforms for quick back-and-forth exchanges with coworkers and managers.

Of course, the usual rules of netiquette (see §6.2.1) apply in such exchanges, and it’s important to know when to take them offline or to switch to another channel such as phone or video chat (just a button away at the top right of the chat window in MS Teams; see §11.3.4.1) when necessary. If a written exchange gets bogged down with misunderstandings, is too slow, or involves a sensitive topic that could have serious consequences if committed to a company server—as discussed earlier in §6.1.1 on email—switching to in-person conversation, video chat, or phone call is a smart move.

For external communications with customers, consider the following tips for effective business texting:

  • Know your recipient; “? % dsct” may be an understandable way to ask a close associate what the proper discount is to offer a certain customer, but if you are texting or IMing your boss, it might be wiser to write, “what % discount does Murray get on $1K order?”
  • Anticipate unintentional misinterpretation. Texting often uses symbols and codes to represent thoughts, ideas, and emotions. Given the complexity of communication, and the useful but limited tool of texting, be aware of its limitation and prevent misinterpretation with brief messages.
  • Contacting someone too frequently can border on harassment. Texting is a tool. Use it when appropriate but don’t abuse it.
  • Unplug yourself once in awhile. Do you feel constantly connected? Do you feel lost or “out of it” if you don’t have your cell phone and cannot connect to people, even for fifteen minutes? Sometimes being unavailable for a time can be healthy—everything in moderation, including texting.
  • Don’t text and drive. Besides the potential consequences of injury and/or death, causing an accident while conducting company communications would reflect poorly on your judgment as well as on your employer.

For more, see TextUs’s Business Texting Etiquette: Dos and Don’ts to Stay Compliant.

Key Takeaway

key iconProfessionalize your use of rapid electronic communication such as texting and instant messaging so that you can assume a competitive advantage throughout your careers.

Exercises

1. Write out your answers to the following questions:

i. How old were you when you got your first mobile phone?
ii. When did you send your first text?
iii. How many texts do you send per day, on average, now?
iv. How many times do you speak on the phone with the same device, on average, throughout your day? If you call (or receive calls) far less than text, why do you think that is?
v. Is the first thing you look at when you wake up in the morning your smartphone notifications, and are they the last thing you look at before you go to sleep at night? If so, why? If not, why do you think it is for so many people?
vi. Do you think it’s fair to say that your smartphone use can be characterized as an addiction? If so, how is it impeding you from living a more healthy and fulfilling life? Is there anything you are prepared to do about it? If not, do you see it as a problem for people around you? Do you challenge them on it? Do you find it a challenge to discipline yourself to prevent it from being an addiction in your case?

2. Identify three ways that you must change your texting and IM behaviour in professional—rather than purely social—contexts.

 

 

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Communication at Work Copyright © 2019-2026 by Jordan Smith, PhD is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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