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Everybody knows a communications outlaw.
Maybe it's the colleague who sends you three emails in the space of an
hour, each with partially formed ideas about a project. Or the
conference call host who lets the conversation ramble, without any
thought of an agenda.
With the variety of communication methods available, it's easy to grow
frustrated by annoying associates or clueless clients. But is it
possible that your own behavior is bugging someone else?
"We're not using these tools as productively as we could," says Leslie
Perlow, author of Sleeping with your Smartphone and a professor at
Harvard Business School. "There's a huge opportunity here, in small
doable steps, to create much better communications."
In the interest of helping us all avoid communications purgatory, here's a brief taxonomy of the worst offenders.
The smartphone addict
You know this guy (or gal). His phone is on the table during every
meeting or lunch. He can't stop fiddling with it. The worst addicts
actually check email and type responses while other people are talking.
The problem: The message the smartphone addict is sending, deliberately
or not, is that you aren't a priority. Something or someone more
important could potentially reach out at any minute. "If the phone's on
the table, it shows where your attention is," says Matthew Proman,
founder of the National Association of Professional Women, a business
networking company.
The solution: Put the phone away. You actually will live for 60 minutes
without checking email or text messages. It's just that simple. If
you're expecting a genuinely urgent call, explain that at the start of
your meeting, and excuse yourself from the room if the call comes
through. As a bonus, you'll get more out of your in-person interactions
without the electronic leash.
The stalker
We are all overloaded with emails and demands on our attention. The last
thing we need is to receive the same question from a colleague via
email, text, and instant message in the space of an hour. "Savvy
communicators can try three different modes of communication over the
span of 72 hours," says Brad Karsch, president of JB Training Solutions
in Chicago. "Any more than that, and you're a stalker."
The problem: The stalker doesn't recognize that his urgent question
isn't everyone's emergency. This is the same fellow who marks 90% of his
messages as urgent. Often, the stalker fails to communicate completely
in the first email, and then needs to send three follow-ups to finish
the message he wants to convey.
The solution: Gain a little perspective on whether the matter is truly
urgent. Batch emails. Use bullet points and the subject line to give
your message some additional clarity, and proofread your emails before
sending. Keep it short so that people don't miss part of your message.
"If I have to scroll down to read it, this should never have been an
email," says David Adams, a vice president with Adecco Group, a global
staffing firm says. Instead, "have a live conversation and use the email
to summarize what you discussed."
The master of disguise
When you want to get in touch with this shifty character, you never know
which email account is best to try, or whether you'll hear from him via
text, instant message, or email. Perhaps you start a conversation on
email, he continues it via IM, and concludes it with a text.
The problem: You don't want to be enigmatic in the workplace. Your
contacts need to know how to reach you. It's okay to switch
communications methods once, such as sending an urgent text when you
leave the office and don't have easy email access. But going back and
forth unnecessarily is just confusing, and makes it hard for your
colleagues to review the entire thread of a conversation.
The solution: Ask people upfront about their contact preferences and
methods. Then stick to that plan, aside from the aforementioned
emergencies. You might even decide as a work group on certain
communications protocols, such as setting instant message status to
available, unavailable, or back soon. Harvard's Leslie Perlow has helped
teams boost productivity and satisfaction through simple agreements
around communication. For instance, a team may agree to avoid sending or
answering email after 6 p.m. at night or to designate daily blocks of
time for uninterrupted work.
The cc: abuser
Almost as soon as email was invented, someone began overusing the cc: field. And email inboxes around the world began to clog.
The problem: The best way to reduce email clutter is judicious sending.
If you send email to more people than necessary, you're likely to
receive unnecessary responses, creating a snowball effect. Moreover,
some people may take offense at an overly broad distribution. For
instance, if you cc: a superior unnecessarily it can inadvertently send a
message of distrust. "The number one best practice is to decide, 'Who
is the email for?'" Adams says. "That thought process alone will reduce
the amount of emails."
The solution: Only include people on emails if they truly need to follow
the tick-tock of the conversation. For others, you can summarize in an
in-person conversation or weekly update.
Follow these rules and you'll be fine:
1. Pick the right medium for your message. Text or IM something short
and urgent. Email a longer message. Pick up the telephone for anything
complex or potentially emotional.
2. Only include people who truly are needed in a message, conference call or meeting.
3. Consolidate your communications and use clear email subject lines.
4. Think before you hit send.
5. Be respectful of others' time and priorities
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Post By：2013/1/30 10:33:24
