logo logo
Donate
    • Membership
    • Donate
  • Social Justice
    • Racial Justice
    • Climate Justice
    • Disability Justice
    • Economic Justice
    • Health Justice
    • Immigration
    • LGBTQ+
  • Civic News
  • Nonprofit Leadership
    • Board Governance
    • Equity-Centered Management
    • Finances
    • Fundraising
    • Human Resources
    • Organizational Culture
    • Philanthropy
    • Power Dynamics
    • Strategic Planning
    • Technology
  • CONTENT TYPES
  • Leading Edge Membership
  • Newsletters
  • Webinars

Emoji As Conflict Resolution Tools

Ruth McCambridge
October 21, 2015

NPQ has a column by a guy who calls himself Dr. Conflict where he advises us all on how to make the most and suffer the least from conflictual situations in and around our nonprofits. If you are in such a situation, write to him here and describe the situation and your role in it and he will provide you with advice. He is good at it. I know, because I’ve asked him stuff.

Meanwhile, let’s talk about email as a tool to create unnecessary turbulence. Andit used to be even more so, before it evolved to a higher level where it more regularly included graphic gestures. I was talking with a friend yesterday who was considering how to communicate something that she was upset about to someone by email. She had been up all night worrying about this particular issue, but she did not want to shut down communication, so…

She was not only very, very careful in the wording of the missive, but also—and even more importantly—she used a number of well-placed emoji, including one smiley face with eyes shaped like little hearts.

Cat-emoji

Sign up for our free newsletters

Subscribe to NPQ's newsletters to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

(I added the cat stuff. That would have been over the top.)

The response that she received back was completely free of angst—so, mission accomplished! But it got me thinking about the times lately when I have been emotionally seduced or placated by an emoji placed strategically after a mild admonition about missing a deadline or something.

And, let me tell you, I mind not at all! It signifies a willingness to forgive and forget if I get my act together. I don’t feel judged as much as nudged. It’s much better, for instance, than a bald statement like “I understand from ____ that you have failed once again at _____. I need to inform you….” That does not motivate me much to improve.

Am I perverse? I don’t doubt it but so are most of us. However much we may want to make fun of emoji, they have invaded our universe of communication. We all seem to have caught on to the usual tired tricks—language like “When you X, I feel y” just arouses a kind of blind rage—but an emoji or two is just the ticket, at least for now.

About the author
Ruth McCambridge

Ruth is Editor Emerita of the Nonprofit Quarterly. Her background includes forty-five years of experience in nonprofits, primarily in organizations that mix grassroots community work with policy change. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Ruth spent a decade at the Boston Foundation, developing and implementing capacity building programs and advocating for grantmaking attention to constituent involvement.

More about: best of 2024 editors selectionsBrandingCommunicationsFundraising

Our Voices Are Our Power.

Journalism, nonprofits, and multiracial democracy are under attack. At NPQ, we fight back by sharing stories and essential insights from nonprofit leaders and workers—and we pay every contributor.

Can you help us protect nonprofit voices?

Your support keeps truth alive when it matters most.
Every single dollar makes a difference.

Donate now
logo logo logo logo logo
See comments

You might also like
Ask Rhea
Rhea Wong
Know Your Data: Insights from the Fundraising Effectiveness Project
Isaiah Thompson
More from Fewer: The Growing Role of Ultra-Wealthy Donors
Isaiah Thompson
Behind the Numbers: Giving USA Panel Sheds Light on Longer Term Trends
Steve Dubb
From Crisis to Capacity: 20 Years of Philanthropy after 9/11
Deepa Iyer
Quanita Toffie on Essential Movement Infrastructure
Jeanne Bell

Upcoming Webinars

Group Created with Sketch.
June 26th, 2:00 pm ET

From Performance Management to Mutual Commitment

Fostering a Culture of Joyful Accountability

Register
Group Created with Sketch.
July 24th, 2:00 pm ET

Organizing in Divided Times

The Relational Infrastructure We Need to Protect Democracy

Register

    
You might also like
Ask Rhea
Rhea Wong
A computer screen with program coding lines.
Know Your Data: Insights from the Fundraising Effectiveness...
Isaiah Thompson
One large piggy bank surrounded by smaller, fallen-over piggy banks with Xs over their eyes.
More from Fewer: The Growing Role of Ultra-Wealthy Donors
Isaiah Thompson

Like what you see?

Subscribe to the NPQ newsletter to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

See our newsletters

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from NPQ and our partners.

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Copyright
  • Donate
  • Editorial Policy
  • Funders
  • Submissions

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

 

Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.