How Impactful Is Presentation in Email? The Effect of Avatars and Signatures

Abstract

A primary well-controlled study of 900 participants found that personal presentation choices in professional emails (non-content changes like Profile Avatar 8 Signature) impact the recipient’s perception of the sender’s personality and the quality of the email itself. By understanding the role these choices play, employees can gain better control over how they influence the recipient of their messages. Results further indicate that although some variations can positively impact the recipient’s view of the sender, these same variations often also have negative side effects. This implies that many seemingly innocuous presentation decisions should be made in the context of who is receiving the email, and if these effects negatively impact the content of the message. For example, although statements in a Signature about the email having been written on a phone are included to preemptively apologize for typing mistakes, this causes the sender to appear less agreeable, less conscientious, and less open, and the email itself appears less well written and more poorly formatted. This is surprising given that the email itself was not changed in the study.