The Power of Effective Written Communication
The Essential Soft Skills for New 3D Artists
I was recently asked “What advice would I give to a new artist just starting out in 3D?” Obviously, there are the old standards:
Be on time
Work Hard
Don’t Microwave Leftover Fish at the Office
These are obvious but what often gets overlooked are the essential soft skills required to navigate office politics successfully. In this article, we'll explore some of the most critical communication skills that will help you thrive in a modern work environment.
And even though I started my career in a physical office, most of our communication was already through email and other messages. Nowadays, with remote work being so prevalent, mastering written communication is even more critical for success in the modern workplace.
Learn to Say “No Problem”
During my first job, I had the privilege of receiving advice from our HR Director, Travis Griffith. He introduced me to the art of "No Problem." This simple phrase is the perfect response to any request, projecting competence and calmness.
"Can you look at the files Johnson sent over and get back to me?" - "No problem."
"Can you see if Johnson is at his desk? I haven't seen him all day." - "No problem."
"We gotta fire Johnson. His files are a mess, and he didn't even show up for work yesterday. Can you schedule a meeting?" - "No problem."
“No Problem” has some confident swagger to it with a little bit of “easy, breezy, lemon-squeezy” mixed in. Even if you're new to the job and receive requests from high-level individuals that you don't fully grasp, respond with a confident "No Problem" and then seek assistance from your colleagues to resolve it.
Be Mindful of Your Greeting
Don't underestimate the importance of a proper greeting in written communication. When reaching out to someone in a senior position, avoid jumping straight into the content without a courteous greeting. Failing to do so may come across as disrespectful or rude.
Now, you might wonder, what should you say?
The traditional approach of using "Dear Mrs./Ms./Mr. XXX" is no longer suitable for a modern professional setting. We all agree that using titles like Ms./Mrs. to indicate marital status is outdated and inappropriate in 2023. Moreover, assuming someone's gender based on appearance and using gendered titles can be problematic. Additionally, many professionals in our industry hold various titles, such as PhDs who prefer to be addressed as Dr.
To play it safe, a simple "Good morning" is a suitable and respectful way to begin your message unless you have specific information about the recipient's preferences.
Grammar
There are roughly 1.4 gazillion ways to check your spelling and grammar when writing an email or slack message. There’s ChatGPT that will completely rewrite your text without grammatical/spelling errors. You have software like Grammarly that will place helpful squiggly lines under your text whenever you make a mistake. Plus, most applications have a built-in spell checker to help you out.
So, basically, there is no reason why your email or Slack should be littered with spelling and grammatical errors. An occasional typo is fine, but take the extra minute to make sure your text is all in place.
…and for all you cool kids out writing in all lower-case and ellipses…i see you out there…just for the first contact in a professional environment…maybe skip talking like this…at least at first.
Exclamation Points
Now we are getting into a hot debate. Are exclamation points unprofessional?
The American novelist Elmore Leonard said “You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose.” So basically, around one in every 500 messages you send. That’s silly.
If you are an excitable person, I don’t see any problem with throwing in an occasional exclamation point to show that level of energy. It helps eliminate any miscommunication because your enthusiasm is apparent. If you don’t believe me, read these next two lines and tell me you don’t hear a difference.
“Would you like to have dinner sometime?”
”Sure.”
“Would you like to have dinner sometime?”
”Sure!”
If an exclamation point better communicates your genuine response, throw it in.
Emojis
In the beginning, emojis are fine as a reaction to Slack or text, but not to be used in any other way. As you build more of a reputation, feel free to let them fly. Not much nuance there….moving on!
Respond quickly
When you are first starting at a company, it is so important to establish your reliability. The easiest way to do that is to respond quickly to messages. It shows you are organized and on top of your game. Don’t assume that people know you read their email right away…prove it. Respond fast.
Length
In both emails and Slack messages, people tend to skim through content, often reading only the subject and the initial sentences. To ensure your message doesn't get overlooked, avoid burying the main point. State what you want upfront, followed by concise context and additional information necessary for the task. By doing so, you prevent your primary reason for emailing from being lost in the depths of paragraph four.
Don’t Be Funny
Avoid attempting humor in your initial messages. It can be a minefield of potential misinterpretations and may unintentionally offend someone. What you think is clear sarcasm might come across as rudeness to others. My rule of thumb…don’t try and be funny until after you have had several conversations with them in person or over video call.
Looping Someone Into an Email
If you want to infuriate me…loop me into a long email chain without context or summary. Just a forward with a, “Looping in Mike. Mike, what do you think?”
What do I think? I think I don’t want to have to unfurl a long email exchange with such engaging banter like:
On Tue, Jul 18, 2023 at 7:41 PM Abe Vigoda <abev@gmail.com> wrote:
That works
On Sat, Jul 15, 2023 at 3:58 PM Robert Loggia <rlo@gmail.com> wrote:
Can’t do it then. Thursday 3pm?
On Sat, Jul 15, 2023 at 1:34 PM Abe Vigoda <abev@gmail.com> wrote:
Could you do 3pm that Wednesday?
On Sat, Jul 15, 2023 at 1:26 PM Robert Loggia <rlo@gmail.com> wrote:
How about that Tuesday of the next week? I can do 11am or 3pm
On Wed, Jul 12, 2023 at 12:53 PM Robert Loggia <rlo@gmail.com> wrote:
I’m on PTO then…can we do then following week?
On Thu, Jul 6, 2023 at 1:35 AM Abe Vigoda <abev@gmail.com> wrote:
Do you want to meet to discuss next Weds at 2pm?
--
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If you need to loop someone into an email, give a summary of what has previously been discussed and a clear description as to why they are being brought into the conversation. Don’t leave them to navigate through the remains of your threaded email hellscape!
Emails Are Forever
Keep in mind that emails serve as a permanent written record of your work communications. Be cautious about typing anything you wouldn't feel comfortable defending in front of your HR representative or, in extreme situations, even in a court of law. Refrain from using offensive language or speaking negatively about co-workers, clients, or anyone else, as you wouldn't want to read those words aloud in front of them. Maintaining professionalism in your email communication is essential for a positive and respectful work environment.
Communicate a Problem Effectively
I see many young artists screwing this up. Basically, they will try something, it doesn’t work, so they immediately send a message to a Slack channel or email to an entire department stating:
”Good morning. This tool isn’t working. Any ideas?”
This type of message makes the sender seem a little helpless and not self-sufficient. Did they not try to solve the problem themselves? Did they give up and immediately ask for help? Now they want me to look into even the most basic of possibilities of the problem because they have eliminated no possibilities. Have they even ensured their computer is plugged in!?!?!?
Do this instead:
“Good morning. This tool is not launching today, and I am receiving this error when I try.
ERROR MESSAGE (1230) - Voxels are full.
I’ve tried restarting my machine and even reinstalling the tool. I have rolled back to previous versions but nothing is working and I cannot figure out what is happening. I’ve gone through other error reports and have not spotted this error message before.
Can you help?”
Even with a short and concise email, you manage to address and eliminate potential issues. Your message demonstrates that you've exhaustively attempted all reasonable solutions to resolve the problem, and you are open to receiving expert-level advice, showing a proactive and collaborative approach.
Cap the Conversation
This is one I feel strongly about. Do not allow your conversations to be left in limbo. That’s the void of not knowing if the conversation is done and, if so, what were the main takeaways. A good trick is whether the last email contained some form of a “thanks” or gratitude.
A: Can you do this for me?
B: No problem.
A : Thanks!
That “Thanks!” at the end definitively caps the conversation so you know it is done.
A: Here is an update to the artwork you have previously asked me about.
B: Fantastic! I appreciate it.
Notice how in both of these exchanges, there end in a sign of gratitude. If you don’t see that at the end of an email, the conversation probably needs a cap to end it definitively.
Conclusion
In the early stages of your career, it's natural to focus primarily on honing your artistic skills, possibly overlooking the importance of developing other crucial abilities. While artistic growth may initially be challenging and improve with experience, the same cannot be said for communication.
If you struggle with communication, it won't magically improve over time. It requires a conscious effort to develop strong communication skills because they play a significant role in your career. How you communicate impacts how others perceive you within the company and influences the likelihood of continued collaboration in the future.
Therefore, alongside your artistic pursuits, make it a priority to work on enhancing your communication abilities to thrive in your professional journey.
3D News of the Week
A roundup of interesting 3D-related news you may have missed this week.
OpenUSD support as part of the Rhino 8 release - discourse.mcneel.com
Neural Haircut: Prior-Guided Strand-Based Hair Reconstruction - github
Spline Including Multi-Scenes - Twitter
Keeping Your Confidence Up During a Lengthy Job Search - hbr.org
Artist of the Week
Christian Tammekänd
Sometimes a single project just blows me away. Check out this incredible work done by Christian Tammekänd done in Substance Designer.
3D Tutorials
3D Job Spreadsheet
Link to Google Doc With A TON of Jobs in Animation (not operated by me)
Michael Tanzillo is the Head of Technical Artists with the Substance 3D Growth team at Adobe. Previously, I was a Senior Artist on animated films at Blue Sky Studios/Disney with credits including three Ice Age movies, two Rios, Peanuts, Ferdinand, Spies in Disguise, and Epic.
In addition to his work as an artist, Michael is the Co-Author of the book Lighting for Animation: The Visual Art of Storytelling and the Co-Founder of The Academy of Animated Art, an online school that has helped hundreds of artists around the world begin careers in Animation, Visual Effects, and Digital Imaging.
www.michaeltanzillo.com
Free 3D Tutorials on the Michael Tanzillo YouTube Channel
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