November 2008 Newsletter
Our November newsletter offers some top tips on improving your staff's communication. Find out how with
Ingenious Expression: Crisp Communication at Work
The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.
George Bernard Shaw
We were recently trying to acquire some new pc’s for our office. The multi-national that we contacted to place the order assured us the new terminal would be at our office within 1 week. Needless to say 6 weeks, 5 phone calls and 3 idle threats down the line the pc's still had not arrived.
Most of the people that we spoke to at the company were polite, friendly and eager to assist but regrettably had no idea what was actually going on. This seems to be a common occurrence at banks, government agencies and large corporations – communication is often in the dark ages.
The truth is that many companies pour away billions on cutting-edge communication technology without seeing any significant results. So if the technology exists to communicate instantly and effectively why can’t a computer giant tell me something simple – like where my pc is? Lets find out…
Who needs to know?
In the mid-1990s, the Swedish car manufacturer Volvo found itself with an excessive stock of green cars. To try and sell this surplus, the sales and marketing departments began offering attractive special deals, as a result the green cars started to sell. But nobody had told the manufacturing department about the promotions. It noted the increase in sales, read it as a sign that consumers had started to like green, and ramped up production.
Often our perception is clouded when we are in the thick of a situation and so we do not dedicate our communication to the most pressing factors first. The Volvo example clearly demonstrates this.
One would assume that the production plant would have been the first party to have been informed, but the sales and marketing department were so eager to fix the problem they did not communicate the information to the people who should have been the first to know. This could have been wholly prevented by asking the simple question 'Who needs to know about this?' or 'Who are the Stakeholders?'
When people are stressed they are more likely to skim over details and abbreviate their communication because they are in a rush. You may think that you are saving a few seconds by not going into all the details but really all you are doing is robbing yourself of time further down the line when you have to repair the effects of your fragmented communication.
When do they need to know?
Knowing when information should be reported is just as important as the actual information. Many people approach their work with a ‘first-come first-served’ philosophy. While this technique may work when serving fast food it does not work in more complex business relationships. An employer at a multinational does not have the benefit of turning around and saying ‘I need more cheeseburgers, we are running out.’
Time zones and workload within a company’s infrastructure may vary massively. So if employers are simply dealing with situations in the order that they arise there is a chance more urgent matters are not being met with the speed they deserve.
Answers to queries and approval of initiatives often have to be transferred between cities and countries. It’s not uncommon to find various departments of a large organization scattered across the country and even the world.
Sensitivity to issues of timing is a vital skill in being a masterful communicator. You wouldn't ask for an increase if your boss was having a bad day because you understand that your bad timing will have an impact on the answer. All communication is time sensitive, treat it with the same respect and understanding you use for communicating things that directly affect you.
How will you remember? The dangers of inattentional blindness
Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris conducted an experiment in 1998 where they got people to watch a basketball game for a bout 60 seconds and count how many times a particular team passed the ball. Most participants could accurately count the number of passes between a team but about 50% failed to notice a man in a gorilla suit walk on and off the court (in the centre of the screen) while watching the video.
Chabris and Simons had documented a phenomenon known as inattentional blindness that is a result of our brains only being able to focus on a few details at the same time. Chances are that the more responsibility you have within your position the more people you will be liaising with on a daily basis.
No matter how good your memory, or attention to detail is, there is always the risk that a vital piece of information may be overlooked or not communicated when the pace picks up. The importance of keeping a list or record of what you have to do and say is paramount in safeguarding against lapses of memory.
Furthermore detailed notes on a database makes the job of whoever picks up where you left off infinitely easier and saves the time and hassle of a customer or a colleague having to re-explain the entire situation from the beginning.
What you thought you heard and said
Notice the confusing double meaning in the heading above? Language is as malleable as putty. A punctuation error, similar sounding words and poor grammar can completely mutate the meaning of a sentence. Combine this with globalisation which means that there is a fair chance you will work and deal with people that do not have the same first language as you and the possibility of a misunderstanding escalates.
Consider the word ‘set’ which has 464 separate definitions in the Oxford English Dictionary and it will become apparent that learning English is no small feat. There are a few tools that you can make use of to reduce misunderstanding. Whether English is your first or second language sharpen your communication so that there is a better chance that people get what you mean. Here’s how:
(1) Get someone with a sound grasp of the language to proof read your work. They will be in a good position to be critical of the language you use.
(2) Clarify that people understand what you mean and you understand what they they mean by asking the right questions. For example:
I need this by the end of the week.
Sure, would that be Friday morning or by the end of Friday?
(3) When dealing with sensitive information and material avoid figures of speech as much as possible. Some English expressions are very abstract, you don’t want
someone wondering what tallying up chickens has to do with business forecasts.
(4) Train your staff to understand differences in dialect. In America ‘pants’ mean ‘ trousers’ in the UK ‘underwear’. This is just one of dozens of variations that could create confusion and embarrassment.
(5) Not everyone has an aptitude for language. Level the playing field by sending your staff on a Communication or Business Writing Course.
The Presentation: wrapping it up…
Remember a large portion of your communication’s success is down to the way it is presented. Emails with scores of spelling errors or presentations whispered to a straining audience are not going to get your message across with the degree of credibility you had hoped.
Most skills can be honed with practice, dedication and insight from professionals. How you adjust tone, language, non-verbals and presentation will have a notable effect on the reception of your message.
Finally remember that being a good listener, which boils down to more than simply keeping quiet when the other person is talking, is as powerful as being able to write and speak with perfect clarity.
Need to boost Communication skils in your company? Find out more about about our acclaimed course by follwing Communication Skills.
Advanced Negotiating Skills for your Staff
Regardless of seniority, or operational position in the company negotiation skills should be taught. The company will benefit from improved purchasing margins, sales margins and improvements inter-departmentally.
-Johan de Villiers, Director of Aspire Aviation
This month's featured course is Advanced Negotiation. Our expert facilitators have delivered this course at some of the largest and most respected companies in Europe with consistently outstanding results.
Contact us so we can assist you in improving your bottom line with cutting-edge training that delivers measurable results.
Mail linzi@you-unltd.co.uk or click on Advanced Negotiation to find out more.
Managing Challenging People: Attend our Complimentary Workshop Herding Cats
Intrigued?
Herding cats is about managing challenging people at work.
This is the topic of our training taster workshop designed to give you a 90 min taster of what we do every day. You'll meet some of the you:unlimited team, mingle with other training and HR practitioners and discuss any specific training needs you have.
Apart from giving you a flavour of our training style, this workshop will also equip you with tried and tested techniques to help you improve communication with important and challenging individuals.
The next “Herding Cats” taster workshop will be running in central London from 9am – 11am on February 18th 2009.
Spaces are limited, so if you are a Manager or HR & Training professional with responsibility for booking training contact Edward@you-unltd.co.uk or call on 020 7407 0044 and we’ll book spaces for you and / or a colleague.
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