Every day, we communicate with different people for different purposes in different ways. When it comes to communicating in the workplace, do you ensure that you’re always using the right medium when contacting someone? Equally, are you making the most of that opportunity to get your actual point across?
We hosted a special seminar “How communication can help your business” with Will Kintish as our guest speaker. With this in mind, here are different ways you can workplace communication tools and what might work best in different situations.
A quick internet search demonstrates there are lots of statistics when it comes to the rate at which people disseminate emails. To keep things simple (and to save you time), here’s what we found. Between 2014 and 2018 the average office worker received about 90 business emails per day, and in turn sent out a further 40.
Without doubt, the vast majority of people find communicating via email to be quick and simple. Everything is there at the click of a button. Depending on your level of personal organisation, you can easily track ongoing conversations and locate important information.
However, statistics can’t really delve in to the nitty-gritty of email communication. How many of those emails are actually relevant? How many times have you found yourself copied in to an email chain or thread, only for it to cease to be relevant to you? Or worse, for it to descend in to chaos when someone forgets to “Reply All” (or inadvertently replies all)?
Assessing your inbox
How many unopened emails do you currently have sitting in your inbox? How many have you read, shelved to be dealt with later and still haven’t quite gotten round to handling? Whilst most of us dream of an “Inbox Zero”, the reality is with more and more information coming in it’s getting harder to stay on top of this important communication source.
It’s always worth considering what your company strategy is when it comes to email communication.
- Do you want this to be the preferred method, so there is a constant paper trail?
- Do you want to encourage people to pick up the phone if there are matters that require a little additional explanation?
This can often be a quicker way to resolve queries, instead of spending an hour composing a message that no one has time to read anyway.
Direct Messaging
Whatever your preferred method, whether it be an internal system, Skype, Whatsapp or SMS, direct messaging can be a great way to quickly provide someone with information. However, you need to ensure that information is short and sweet, rather than something that should be sent via email.
The downside of messaging however can be that it becomes too informal and this can lead to some miscommunication problems, or even breakdowns in communication (and complaints being raised with HR). Make sure you have clear policies on how people should behave when they are corresponding with each other on work matters.
Face to face
Depending on the situation, it can be far better to have a face-to-face conversation with someone, or to use other workplace communication tools, such as direct messaging or video conferencing, to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to talk and that any points can be clarified immediately.
If face to face isn’t possible in real life, then consider using technology such as Skype or Face Time to allow you to have a virtual conversation with people. There is nothing that says you have to be in the same room, if this isn’t immediately possible. Better to schedule the sensitive things sooner, rather than later and wait for them to blow up in your face!
What do you prefer?
We’d love to hear what your preferred method of communication is, and whether that differs between your personal and professional lives.
* Please remember that all People Matters clients are automatically offered a FREE place to this seminar, though you do still need to book your seat. Please get in touch if you have any questions on securing your space.