I found this audio book to be very practical and immediately useful, especially for anyone who is working 100% remote. Great info about texting, email, and phone conversations. Being purposeful about what we do digitally is critical and the need for presence when engaging with others digitally can be easy to forget, but it's just as important as if they were in front of us.

Note: I voluntarily requested, read, and reviewed this book. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sending me a temporary digital advance reading copy/advance review (ARC) galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. As always, my opinions are my own and do not represent my co-host or the podcast. I request, read, and review many books prior to publication to explore possible future guests for the podcast. I wish we could interview the author of every one of these books because I'm so impressed by the creativity, thoughtfulness, and wisdom shared through the temporary books I get through NetGalley.

This book was incredibly timely with many companies still working remotely due to Covid-19, but much of the advice is applicable for folks who are working in the office as well. Listening to this book opened my eyes to a lot of things in my company that I don't like and things that I want to look for in future employers.

I am a 28 year old female who was raised on computers and technology. I have had a cell phone since I was 13 and at one point I slept with it under my pillow. You would like I would be a pro at communicating with technology but instead I have grown complacent and lazy. This was a great refresher on how to convey and articulate what I am saying and how I would like it to be perceived. When you are reading an email or text, you are not just reading it and moving on. You are impacted by the text you see, the tone and effort put into the message and how to information is stated. This was valuable and I think it should be read by the masses. Technology will only impact us more as time goes on, we should all learn how to make better use of it and be mindful of how our messages will be perceived on the other side of the screen.

This book, narrated by the author, is a tremendous resource for anyone who relies upon digital communications in their day-to-day life. In 2021, the audience that would gain value from this book is certainly tremendous in size. The pandemic and its resulting effects of increased remote work hastened the need for a book like this which teaches ways we can better relate and show respect to one another, increase effectiveness in accomplishing goals, problem-solve chronic issues and avoid miscommunication in the ways we exchange information digitally. Every person, whether a C-level executive, professional athlete, high school babysitter or military warrior could find information here that adds value to their life and work.

Digital Body Language by Erica Dhawan
How to Build Trust & Connection No Matter the Distance

Communication. 50% of our emails are misinterpreted.
Digital body language. Liking a post. Making a comment. Answering an email in detail. Using emoji. Laughing during a video meeting. Responding promptly to a text. Using an emoji in a digital meeting.
Communicate carefully. Collaborate competently. Trust totally.
Generational differences, cultural variants, Zoom, texting, email, Gen Z, introvert, managers and emojis.

These are some of the concepts covered in this wonderfully concise text. Worth reading or listening to for anyone in business or managing people or projects. Or simply to figure out why your emails aren’t being returned.
The author did a wonderful job on the narration. She was succinct and pleasant to listen to.

I received a copy of this audiobook from the publisher. I also purchased a copy to keep for reference.

This is my second book by the author and I was really excited to listen to the audio version as it was narrated by the author. She does a wonderful job as a narrator. Her work as a professional speaker and coach really shines through in her narration. You can really tell she has a passion for the subject, and I really appreciated that she provided personal and professional examples in the book. This book is so relevant given our current situation with many companies working virtually due to the COVID pandemic. I worked from home several days a week prior to COVID and found so many points that were made in this book very relevant. I wish I had read this several years ago. I can't tell you how many times I have questioned the tone in an email I received or sent, and this book may have made translating it a little easier. It has become more and more difficult to network in my industry during this time when face to face events aren't happening, and the "return to normal" isn't clear yet. We have transitioned to a "zoom" meeting culture and getting involved can become difficult. There are some really good tips on how to manage that in here. Now that much of the workforce has proven the ability to work from home, I expect more and more flexibility from companies moving forward from the corporate sector. I believe books like this can really help many of us navigate this world of video chats, professional texting, instant messages, and deciphering tone in digital communications.

I liked that she discussed gender and age differences when it comes to communicating digitally. As we move to a more digital forum, what I feel is professional as a mid-career professional may seem blunt and cold to an intern who as accepted an entirely different way of communicating. I also liked that she pointed out that you have to tailor your communication to your audience and your business environment. As a seasoned project manager I have always had a communication plan for my stakeholders so this makes perfect sense to me. By adding a few more criteria to that plan I can be much more successful in communicating with others in and out of the workplace.

I was provided an audio arc via Netgalley, all opinions are my own. This releases today May 11, 2021 and I plan on purchasing a physical copy for myself so I can reference some of the key points that the author made about punctuation and use of emojis as well as other ideas in this new digital world of communications. This would also be a great gift for new college graduates as they plan to enter the work force and head off into virtual interviews and crafting quality digital communications. I'll be recommending this to my professional colleagues as well.

This book is so important after living in a pandemic for the past year. This book is full of tips and tools to guide everyone through digital bedside manner and digital culture. This book can be used for personal and professional communication. I am thankful to have had the opportunity for an advanced copy of this book. I have taken so many notes and plan to revisit this book again in the near future.

Digital Body Language promises to be the definitive guide to connecting to the hybrid world. And the audiobook delivered big time. The book covered different communication mediums from texting, email, to phone conversations with a real world perspective. This was definitely not the stuffy business book I was expecting!

Erica did a deep dive on how text and email communications can affect those around you. It even made me question a text I had sent the same week to a friend who shared a victory and probably got a short response in return when I was busy during the day. She has definitely made me more aware of the need to take the time to read the intention of the message that comes through, and giving some messages the time and response they deserve.

The book also covered team engagement and how a manager's poor communication with their team can cause serious issues. A manager not using emojis could come across as cold, and the "OK." is apparently not so ok. This is definitely a book that will make you more thoughtful in your communication, and may even encourage you to include an emoji, or an exclamation point or two! I'm glad I read this communication book and recommend it--especially to those with managerial responsibilities and aspiring managers.

There are a lot of good anecdotes and a lot of good areas to think about, but the advice in many places is utterly contradictory (use emojis to seem human, but some people will think you are completely inappropriate for using emojis....). Really what I got from this book is to slow down when communicating and really think about the person you're communicating with, the setting/context of communication, and the goals of the communication. Which, when it comes to it, is good advice. ;)

Full of great insight and useful information, the concepts in Erica Dhawan's book are really important in today's digital communication. Whether it's personal or business related, communications by email and text have to be concise. Dhawan walks the reader through many, many examples of situations where digital communications might be misconstrued, the possible reasons why, and how to correct the problem.

I know in my own life, I have both been guilty of sending a rushed, unclear or incomplete communication; and I've certainly received my fair share. This book really helps focus your engagement with others through digital platforms and how to be perfectly understood. I never consciously recognized how something as simple as culture or location can totally change the way something is interpreted or is perceived.

This book can really help your effective communications be spot on, and help grow trusted and treasured relationships.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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 Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.