How do you make sure your tone comes across in a text, with emojis, punctuation, or something else? Ever been misread?

A natural way to answer

I try to add an emoji or an exclamation mark so my message does not sound too cold. Text can be easy to misread, because you cannot hear the person's voice. I have definitely been misunderstood before because of a short reply.

Key phrases to use

• having a go — criticising or scolding someone“I wasn't having a go, I promise.”
• crossed wires — a misunderstanding between people who think they mean the same thing“Sorry, we had our wires crossed about the time.”
• smoothing things over — to make a disagreement or awkward situation calmer and friendlier again“She smoothed things over after the argument.”
• speak volumes — to communicate a great deal without being stated directly“A single full stop can speak volumes.”