MONTREAL – There are a few choice words people often use when writing e-mails to sound friendlier and perhaps, less threatening – but are the constant “sorry,” “just” and “I think”-s undermining you?
Cyrus Innovation says ‘yes’ and created the Just Not Sorry! plug-in for Google Chrome as part of its female founder initiative.
Essentially, it will warn you when you use words or phrases that undermine your message.
According to the company, “words will be underlined for correction with additional information about how using the phrase is perceived.”
So, why is the plug-in potentially so important?
CEO Tami Reiss wrote on Medium.com that it was not just about creating a stronger, more direct message.
For her, it was much more personal.
The inspiration behind the plug-in came about during a brunch for the League of Extraordinary Women.
Reiss said the plug-in is part of a bigger issue – one that affects women in particular.
“Women…were all softening their speech in situations that called for directness and leadership. We had all inadvertently fallen prey to a cultural communication pattern that undermined our ideas,” she wrote.
“As entrepreneurial women, we run businesses and lead teams — why aren’t we writing with the confidence of their positions?”
The team has turned it into a social movement, to ask women across the world to make it their 2016 New Year’s resolution to stop apologizing in unnecessary situations.
SOUND OFF: Will you download the Just Not Sorry! plug-in? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
rachel.lau@globalnews.ca
Follow @rachel_lau
Comments