During this age in which the text message seems to have far outstripped the phone call as the communication method of choice, emojis have become a language all their own. From smiley faces to side-eye smirks, the ubiquitous yellow faces are now also widely used on Facebook and have found their way into professional emails as well – but is the workplace really an appropriate setting for sending emojis back and forth?
When deciding whether or not to use an emoji in your workplace correspondence, a good rule of thumb that I generally follow is a simple one: know your audience. If you’re writing to a client who frequently uses emojis in his or her emails to you, then by all means feel free to include a lighthearted grinning face. If your email is meant for a stern, tight-laced supervisor, however, it might be a better idea to stick to prose to convey your message.
There are times when abstaining from emoji use may be the right call regardless of your audience, however. We often turn to emojis to help clarify intent by attaching emotion to our message – but in reality, the recipient of an email in the workplace is likely to misinterpret the message as more emotionally negative or neutral than intended. For example, when offering corrective feedback, a supervisor may include a smiley face to soften the blow, explaining that a mistake is “no big deal.” That smile is often all to easy for an employee to interpret as condescending or passive aggressive. To avoid these mishaps, try to think about the worst-case scenario interpretation when sending feedback – it’s often less complicated to avoid emoting inthe first place.
Take a look at more considerations on emojis in the workplace in this quick article from TLNT: http://www.eremedia.com/tlnt/to-emoji-or-not-to-emoji/
When an employee leaves his or her job for a new opportunity, he or she will often cite a more attractive salary as a primary reason for moving on. In my experience however, employees won’t be looking for a new position in the first place unless something is effecting their day-to-day morale in the workplace. Naturally, there are countless variables that all play a role in whether a company’s employees are generally happy or unhappy. One the easiest of these boxes to check for employers trying to reduce turnover is positive reinforcement.
I’ve worked with quite a few people who in normal conversation are exceptionally expressive and personable, but seem rigid and emotionless when asked to give a presentation or speak in public. In general, your audience will be much more receptive of your message and will be more engaged if your presentation or speech is delivered conversationally, with emotion, as this makes them feel as though you’re speaking with them instead of at them. Many of us don’t even realize that our mannerisms change when speaking in front of a group though, so how to fix this problem? My #1 recommendation for improving your public speaking skills (or at least, the first thing I’d recommend trying) is to film yourself practicing your presentation in front of a small group of friends, coworkers, family – whoever you have on hand. Take a look at the recording afterwards and discuss with your audience the differences in your demeanor when presenting compared to how you act in everyday conversation. Understanding what needs improvement is the first step to actually improving!
It’s easy to fall into the trap of writing in the same manner or style that we talk, and this can lead to lazy or sloppy word choice. Many of the words we use in our day to day conversations are superfluous, redundant, or downright incorrect when putting pen to paper. 
BZ founder 
Celebrating the start of a fifth year of a successful professional partnership, TTI Success Insights (TTI SI) and Bryant Zamberlan Group (BZ) reaffirmed BZ’s key role as a Value Added Associate (VAA) for TTI, the global leader in human behavior assessments, as BZ President 
Bryant Zamberlan Group (BZ) announced today that Daniel Bachmann’s position as 2015 Bryant Zamberlan Strategic Communications Fellow has been renewed for 2016. The strategic communications and training and assessment consultancy further announced the intention to extend an offer of full-time employment to Bachmann at the completion of his 2016 term as Fellow.
