I read this with my husband as he is interested in how working remotely has affected how we approach work. My husband noted how it changed his mind about taking a moment to respond more fully and thoughtfully to emails or Slacks. It was a little more apparent to me previously, but Dhawan was able to put my philosophy into words far better than I ever would. I thought the pieces around differences in generations, genders, and cultures was a fascinating side note as well. Not as groundbreaking as I had hoped but it was a good read!

A really interesting look at how we present ourselves in email, text, chat, and video calls versus in person and phone calls. The author started this book before the covid-19 pandemic, so her work as become more relevant as more people have pivoted to collaborations that are not in person.

This is a practical guide to better communications in an increasingly digital world. Very timely with COVID19, and the author includes several anecdotes about COVID that make it even more relevant! This was a bit dry, with some insights seeming rather obvious, but overall it was a solid read and I learned some new things. I think it could be very valuable for an entire team to read, as there are a lot of miscommunications that this could clear up, as long as everyone was on the same page. I think the lessons are harder to apply if you're the only one who's read the book.

I think this is a must read starter book for anyone in this digital age. Dhawan gives excellent tips throughout the book, and the attached appendix functions as a workbook to use on a larger scale. I have recommended this book to my boss, and she has noticed my interdepartmental email and digital confidence grow after reading this.

I found this book to be very relevant, timely and informative.I would highly recommend this book for class assignment, discussion starting point as well as a primary reference material.

A fascinating and timely read!

I work with both internal and external clients in my 9-5, with primary communication via email. My introverted self loves that, except...when it doesn't, haha.
- The emails that come in with all-caps subject lines.
- The reply-alls.
- The vague emails: "I need help," but they don't say with what. "It isn't working," but they don't say what isn't. "I'm getting an error message," but they don't say what it is.

You (and I) get the picture.

This book is a fantastic resource to help with that. Digital body language was an issue pre-covid, and now that we're 14+ months in, it's even more so. I'd love to hand this book to everyone I interact with--hmm, not a bad idea!--and will certainly start with recommending it in conversation.

Dhawan is uniquely positioned to speak on the topic, and I found her journey to writing this utterly fascinating. She herself seems very relatable as a person; certainly, her book is. It's also one I could easily either read straight through, or jump around from topic to topic as desired. A fantastic resource I'll revisit regularly.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Did that email you just fired off land the way that you intended? Did you send someone into a panic by using a period in a text message?

These are a few of the mysteries unwound in the excellent new book Digital Body Language.

With virtual and hybrid workplaces, it’s critical that we learn to master not only the words we use, but the non-verbal signals we send.

What is digital body language? Dhawan writes:

"Our word choices, response times, video meeting styles, email sign-offs, and even our email signatures create impressions that can either enhance or wreck our closest relationships in the workplace."

From punctuation (!!!) to response time to email sign-offs, our online actions broadcast emotions and meanings we may not intend. 🙈

Whether you’re a digital native or a “digital adapter,” you’ll find solid advice about communicating more effectively at work—and in your personal life as well!

Digital Body Language is so incredibly relevant now given that a majority of us are communicating with work colleagues, family and friends through many different digital channels. Some of the ideas and tips would certainly work well even if we are co-located in an office (tips on emails, meetings, collaboration, trust) but especially are absolutely critical in the "new normal" of how we work and live. I have read a lot of books on body language and communication tips because I coach leaders and managers to become more effective in how they are communicating with their teams and others. But this book did a particularly great job of touching on many aspects of communication - from content, channel, emojis, cultures, generational, and gender. One of my favorite sections was called "Digital Mansplaining." Throughout, the author shares her personal experiences/mistakes as well as tips for individuals and people managers. The real goldmine in this book is the "Digital Body Language Guidebook" in the appendix. I will definitely be using these tips to help apply what I learned for myself as well as when I work with others.

So even if you feel you know all there is to know about communication, this book will bring you new insights in a compelling and well-structured way. I highly recommend this book!

Have you ever read an email or text that you felt was curt or angry, only to discover that was not the intention of the sender? Worse, have you been the one who was accused of such?


These communication problems are all solvable and Erica Dhawan shows us how in her new guide, "Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance". Here she provides strategies to help executives, co-workers and friends understand each other, eliminating confusion, misunderstanding and frustration in emails, texts, video conferences, instant messaging, and even face-to-face meetings.



Her interest and proficiency in this evolved from trying to understand her Hindi-speaking family members by deciphering their body language. Feeling somewhat left out at school, she used this skill to figure out her classmates, observing even the most subtle cues. This interest continued through college and she eventually became a communication and leadership consultant, giving keynote speeches globally. One common issue that clients were relating to her was “miscommunicate in the workplace”. Hence, she adapted her ability to translate actual body language to that of the digital world.



She shows how to build trust, deal with ambiguity, communicate according to the power structure at work and how to detect power plays. She explains what you need in order adapt to different communication styles, and how this varies among generations, cultures and even gender.



In these remote working times during COVID, how to you build social relationships at work? Dhawan comes to the rescue with “watercooler interactions”.



There’s a lot of vital information here and the book’s varied structure facilitates the learning process so it’s not so overwhelming. Dhawan solves real-life problems but also summarizes specifics with bullet points and tables. That said, make sure you read the Appendix, as she provides more succinct tips.



So, if you want to effectively write messages that people will read, communicate in appropriate tone and so much more, then "Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance", is for you.

Body language has been actively studied since the 1960's with the general public becoming more aware of its existence with the book "Body Language" published in 1978. My undergraduate degree was in Communications and I have a pretty good understanding of non-verbal cues so my first reaction to "Digital Body Language" was all this information is intuitive. I already know and do these things. But as I continued to read, I realized there were new concepts and ideas that I could use. There were helpful ways to proceed.

Author Erica Dhawan has provided a complete roadmap for teams to understand the new signals and cues through her guidelines and anecdotal stories. She explains what digital body language is, discusses the four laws that will make a team more successful, and follows up with a discussion bringing awareness to digital communication differences in gender, generations, and culture. The book includes an extensive list of footnotes and the Appendix includes a downloadable link to The Digital Language Guidebook and other useful materials.

Here are some of my personal takeaways:

Reading carefully is the new listening.
Writing clearly is the new empathy.
A phone or video call is worth a thousand emails.
If you follow up twice with no response, switch to a different medium.
The return and importance of the exclamation point.
Older generations almost always end up adopting the vocabulary of younger generations (emojis).
I also discovered I'm a 'digital native' rather than a 'digital adapter'.

Highly recommended and appropriate for strengthening teams in any organization as well as those of us with questions about how to sign our e-mails!

This was a good book about the way the world has changed the way we communicate and how to communicate with people clearer digitally. It was nothing revolutionary, but it did make me think through how I react to people online and through email/text, so it was a worthwhile read. A bit too corporate focused, but I understand that's where her expertise is.

This book honestly came into my life at the perfect time. After starting a remote position, right at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, I quickly had to adapt to communicating with my team and my clients via digital mode. Now, we are remaining a remote team and I am finding time to better how I communicate online. Even if you are not in fully remote role, there is something to learn from this book on how to best convey ideas. I liked the different sections that the book was broken down into. Not all of it was completely relevant to my work, but there were many tidbits I will apply to my business strategy.

This book had some good information for remote cultures during the time of COVID-19. However, the author did seem to repeat itself quite a bit and it seemed fairly repetitive.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.

A great topic for a book and the right person to deliver it. My own online interactions are limited to a small company with a fairly specific clientele in the 50+ age range; in other words, fairly easy to manage. The examples the author gives illustrate the challenges of working across different age groups and geographic borders. In those cases a guide like this will help everyone recognize differences and hopefully help them adjust.

This book is chock-full of great information, but it seems to be just a bit too much information. It would take a lot of time and effort to cohesively follow every suggestion in this book. It is, however, well written and organized, and the summary at the end is a great tool. I liked the comparisons to physical body language- that made it easier to understand and visualize. This book would be good for someone who is constantly communicating "digitally," someone who could review the material often to practice it, and then over time it may become second nature.

Like so many of us, I have spent way too much time this year on video conferences. As the world looks to digital spaces to help make and continue connections, thinking through the consequences of this new mode of communication is crucial. In DIGITAL BODY LANGUAGE, Erica Dhawan carefully untangles the complex world of digital conversation, helping the reader understand the ways that traditional in-person communication models, like tone and gestures, can be conveyed in a digital space. It's an absolutely invaluable resource for us right now.

This is one of the best business books I have read in a long time. It is very insightful and the “golden nuggets” are plentiful. I am looking forward to it being published. Thanks for allowing it to be read in NetGalley.

This was a book to explore what is becoming the "new normal" in communication. Truthfully, it would have probably been best-timed a year ago, but not much we can do about that now. This offers tips and tricks for how to communicate and "read" others in the digital space. Rather than this being a full lift from the in-person stuff, it's about what is different, helpful and effective. I'm an experienced remote worker, so there wasn't much new for me, but someone who is new to the space will likely find some nuggets here!

I found this book to be wordy and repetitive for someone who instructs others on communication.
The main takeaways I got to improve digital communication are:
* Be attentive.
* Be professional.
* Be clear, and question any communication you are not sure of the meaning.
The appendix in the back expounds on these ideas applicable to various forms of digital communication. If you want even more details, read the entire book.