Which means of communication do you use the most? If you’re like most people today, you rely on email first because it’s quickest and easiest to write. Right?
Next question: which means of communication makes you look best? Is it email? Not if you write email the way most people do—with little attention, no thoughts about organizing content, and very little thinking about what serves your customer best.
Never have we had so many different ways to communicate with each other: in person, video conferencing, phone calls, conference calls, voicemail, email, texting, social media, and the old reliable memos or other printed material. We sometimes choose the one we find most convenient. But the most convenient way may not be the most effective way to communicate.
For example, let’s say you need your clients’ decision on hardware for the doors on the house you’re designing for them. On the surface, that seems like a fairly straightforward information exchange. You email them photos of your top hardware recommendations or links to websites that carry the products. All they have to do is pick the type they like and email back their selection, right?
Not necessarily. Before sending such an email, ask yourself: What’s the most important information I need to convey to my clients right now? How detailed is the information I’m going to share? Would the clients be better able to pick their favorite if they could handle the samples— feel the material, the weight, the size, etc.?
Also, consider what could go wrong if you and your clients communicated about this issue via email. What are the chances that the clients will later complain that you didn’t give them all the information they needed to make a choice?
Consider for a moment the many available means of communication–also called channels of communication. In the chart above, I rate each of the major channels according to the following success factors: words, tone of voice, instant feedback, body language, physical contact, environmental cues (e.g., a messy vs. neat office), and chit chat.
Notice the difference between “Email” and “Face to face.” In the example above, if you were to meet with your clients face to face, they would have physical contact with the hardware samples. You would experience each other’s tone of voice and body language as you discussed options. You’d also get your clients’ instant feedback on the hardware. In email, all communication would be limited to what could be put into words and attached photos.
Think about the last time you emailed or texted information to a client and the exchange didn’t go as you had hoped. Looking at the chart, which other means of communication might have worked better?
Human emotion is another factor when choosing the most effective means of communication. We’ve all misunderstood an email or text message because we didn’t interpret it the way the sender intended. Communicating in person or by telephone can help us better understand how someone is feeling. We can pick up cues as to whether he or she is depressed, upbeat, cynical, scattered, or in another mood. All of those factors can impact how a message is received.
Body language also plays a significant role in communication, making another case for meeting in person. Having a face-to-face conversation gives you the opportunity to pick up additional cues about what he or she is really feeling. For example, what does it mean if your client conducts the whole conversation leaning away from you with arms folded? That’s not good. There’s a chance he or she is less than thrilled with the information you’re delivering or perhaps with your entire performance to date.
Is email ever an effective means of communication? In certain cases, yes. For instance, email is a very good way to summarize (and add to the record) a telephone conversation and the decisions made on the call. With the door hardware example, email could be used when the options have been narrowed to two choices that the clients are familiar with. In that case, you could use email to find whether the clients prefer choice A or choice B.
Communicating effectively with your clients or colleagues is trickier than just choosing the right channel of communication. As a message makes its way from sender to receiver, several factors determine the outcome of the exchange.
As the sender composes the message, it’s encoded using his personal filters, such as values, personality, life experiences, self-esteem, mood, age and many others. The receiver has her own set of filters, too, which her brain uses to decode the sender’s message. Then, as she considers her response, her brain encodes her message using her filters. And so the cycle continues.
Geography is a good example of a filter. The word you use to order a sugary, carbonated beverage is most likely influenced by where you grew up. If you grew up in the Eastern U.S., that word is “soda.” In the Midwest and beyond it’s “pop.” And in some parts of New England, it’s “tonic.”
Age is another filter. Roughly speaking, our modern offices have four generations at work:
• Traditionalists, born 1900–1945
• Boomers, born 1946–1962
• Gen Xers, born 1963–1980
• Millennials, born 1981–2000
Many firms have at least two different generations of employees. Among larger firms, the number is probably closer to four. Each generation has its own values and standards for what’s acceptable at work.
Each generation also uses different words and expressions. One example I hear a lot from Millennials and GenXers is “no worries.” That’s in response to a change in plans. As a Boomer, it drives me nuts. Traditionalists and Boomers are more likely to say “that’s fine” or “no problem.”
It’s important that both the sender and receiver consider these filters when composing and receiving messages. For example, when you feel like “firing back” a strongly worded response to what you perceive as a rude or condescending email, stop. Think more about the message and what might be behind it.
Did the sender meet earlier that day with a contractor or the owner? If that meeting didn’t go very well, the sender’s frustrations may have influenced his or her choice of words in the email. Or perhaps the sender used a word or phrase that, to the sender’s generation, is seen as innocuous, while the receiver’s generation considers it impolite. The more effort each person in an exchange puts into trying to see where the other person is coming from, the better chance both will have at communicating clearly and effectively.
When you approach each new project, do you and your team have a plan for communicating with the owner, contractors, and others? Given the number of people who may be on a single project, such a plan is critical for effective communication and project success.
The Project Management Institute uses the following formula for computing how many lines of communication a project can potentially have: N (N-1) / 2 = number of lines of communication with N = number of people on a project.
Using this formula, a project team of just 10 people would generate up to 45 different lines of communication between parties: 10 (10-1) / 2 = 45 lines of communications. The formula’s purpose is to show how complex project communication can be and to urge you to create a plan that reduces the likelihood of problems.
Create a communication plan as soon as you take on a new project. Decide upfront and in writing who is going to communicate with whom and when, how, and on which topics. These links provide excellent examples of how to do that:
Another team communication plan
Treat communication with the respect it deserves:
• Think about the client you’re communicating with. What filters do you suspect that client may have, based on previous conversations?
• What means of communication should you use to communicate with the client, depending on the client’s preferences, the nature of the information and the outcomes you desire?
• How many lines of communication do you need for your project? Use your answers to these questions to create a communication plan for your project. Spend time communicating well, and your project is much more likely to be successful.
Why Mark Zuckerberg was wrong about this!
https://www.inc.com/anne-gherini/zuckerberg-was-wrong-this-channel-is-still-thriving.html
Smile – and the world can hear you, even if you hide. This explains why new sales reps smile in a mirror when making phone calls.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080111224745.htm
Half of the people who encounter AI don’t even realize it. How about you?
© Pamela A. Scott, MentorLoft.com, 2017