close window 
How to avoid "flame wars"
Professor Epley appears on CNN Today in an interview on how to avoid "flame wars". He analyzes how the tone of an electronic message can be misinterpreted.
When it comes to email, what you say isn’t necessarily what is heard. And, that disconnect can have serious business implications.
Electronic miscommunication was studied by GSB assistant professor of behavioral science, Nick Epley and a colleague. The ease and speed with which E-mail triggers exchanges makes it seem less like written communication and more like a face-to-face transaction. Thus, their findings, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, could help people make sure they get their message across.
The study involved 30 pairs of undergraduates who were asked to send 20 statements to their partner. One used a tape recording and a sarcastic or serious tone, the other sent an email. Members of each group were about 80% confident their message would be understood. The numbers showed otherwise. Speakers rated a success rate of 75%, but E-mail users scored only 56%. Recipients of either type of message thought they would understand 90% of the communications.
At the base of all this misunderstanding is egocentrism—the inability of people to step outside themselves according to the researchers who looked into this phenomenon further. Their tests revealed the E-mailers thought recipients had access to the same information they did—i.e. that they “heard” things the same way.
According to an article in the Monitor on Psychology, Lee Sproull, a PhD at New York University who researches technology and communication, found the research especially important. "What I like about this study is that it applies well-understood ideas about egocentrism and social judgment," she says. "To the best of my knowledge, they are the first to apply those findings to E-mail, and they really reinforce and explain many of the phenomena found in previous studies."
There’s a simple solution to making sure your message gets heard—use the phone. "E-mail is fine if you just want to communicate content, but not any emotional material," Epley explains.
Read more about the study of misinterpreted email.
Professor Epley's research was also picked up by news outlets including MSNBC.com, The Washington Post, ABCNews.go.com and Agence France-Presse.