Think of an important email or other electronic communication you have sent in which others misunderstood your emotions and/or intent. How did the person respond? Did you think the response was fair? Why did this person misunderstand? Did the lack of richness of the communication channel have an impact? How could you have written or approached your message differently to avoid misunderstandings?
Not everyone sees what you see, or understand what you understand. Messages could easily be miss interpreted. Back in high school, I wrote my teacher an email concerning a kid in class. I discussed certain points about the student and how he needed help. The teacher did not respond well because she though I was slandering and speaking ill about the student. I think she misunderstood the situation because I didn’t give her enough information and what was really going on which definitely impacted her reaction. My message was to inform the teacher that the student was being harassed and bullied in front of her eye, but she though I was making low of her and that I only want to cause trouble for the student. In terms of how I could’ve written my message, maybe I could’ve told her what was happening or seeing her in person since it was a sensitive topic.