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Archive for Business Communication

Sometimes it seems that brand new ways to communicate are being invented every day.  Uh, uh.  We’re mistaking new channels of communication – like the Internet, Skype, smart phones – for the actual messages we send to make ourselves understood.  Despite the revolution that is the Internet, nothing has changed from how we sent messages in ancient times.

Think about it:  there are only three types of messages:  words, pictures and actions. Those 150,000+ IPhone apps all fall into one or a combination of words, pictures and actions.

We communicate with words.....

.....pictures

.....pictures

.....and actions.

It’s essential to think carefully about how we send a message so that the recipient is absolutely clear what we mean – the deadline is 5 p.m. this afternoon – and the underlying message in how it is delivered.  As my mother used to say, “Let’s watch our TOV.”  (Tone of voice.)

The sharp retort:  “The deadline is 5 p.m. this afternoon!!” conveys much more than a simple “The deadline is 5 p.m. this afternoon.”   Have I done something wrong when my manager raises his voice and then stalks out of the office?  Of course, that is sending a very clear message.  By the same token, we get the message when we feel a feel a friendly pat on the back.  Nonverbal communication in business can convey so much more than words alone.

Why does this matter?  We’ve all noticed it.  Electronic communications is slowly squeezing the civility out of discourse.  We dash off emails and text messages with little regard for how the recipient will receive the message.  Face-to-face communication where a smile can convey more than a thousand words is missing when increasingly work is done virtually, and a laptop becomes the business traveler’s office.

I particularly worry about younger professionals who live by texting and communicating virtually on Facebook and other social networks.  The emotional context is missing.  Or worse, is misunderstood.

The back pat, the belly laugh, and the handshake – these convey so much more than words.  Are we forgetting how to use them?

Categories : Writing
Comments (0)

Just like clockwork, I received my twice-weekly email from Sherry, one of the bridge directors and instructors from my local duplicate club where I play.  For more than six months, since I returned to playing duplicate bridge, I have been receiving these reminders about the Tuesday and Thursday morning games.  “Are you playing tomorrow morning?” she’ll ask. Read on and you’ll understand what I’ve learned about business communication from Sherry. Read More→

Categories : Branding, Writing
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Sitting at my laptop in my neighborhood Starbuck’s, I felt the tension release from my body as Firefox transported me to the Internet.  I had been offline for two days.  As I attended to some personal business, without my computer, I was truly feeling totally out of the loop. Read More→

Categories : Employee Engagement
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