CHAPTER 14Micromessages: In the Air and Everywhere

Have you ever pursued someone romantically, only to be rejected, without the word “no” ever being spoken? Maybe all you heard was how nice a guy you are, or comments of “neutral envy,” such as, “Some girl is going to be incredibly lucky to have you someday.” Letting someone down easy is a classic use of micromessaging that gets the message across, but leaves minimal collateral damage.

That message could be delivered face-to-face, over the phone, or even in voice mail and be just as effective. Micromessages are the central thread in every form of communication, including electronic communications. Our e-mails, voice mails, instant messages, phone conversations, and virtual meetings are all fully ...

Get Micromessaging: Why Great Leadership is Beyond Words now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.