Improving Business Communication
While the speed and volume of communication increases with e-mail, voicemail and instant messaging, some of the dialogue and personal touch can start to disappear. When it comes to communications, the majority of senior executives and managers say their organization would be more productive if their superiors communicated more often by personal discussion, based on a global survey.
However, while they desire more personal discussion from their superiors, the top personal method of communicating for these same business leaders is e-mail, based on the survey by NFI Research. "Too many people take the easy way out and try and do everything via e-mail and in a lot of cases consume more time on both sides of the equation than they would have by simply picking up the phone or going to see the person," said one survey respondent. "I often find that when I look the other person in the eyes and ask them something I get far more than I ever would over e-mail."
"Personal discussion is the foundation of communications," said another respondent. "Once this foundation is established, it enables all of the other forms of communication. Having a personal connection builds trust and minimizes misinterpretation and misunderstanding."
While 67 percent of business leaders say their organization would be more productive with more personal discussion, some lament that many fall back on technology to do the communicating.
"We have started to run our business by using technology instead of good old-fashioned personal communication," said one manager. "We need to take vacations from our Blackberries, computers and voicemail and get out and talk to everyone in the organization. Nothing can replace open and honest face-to-face communication."
Of course, using e-mail rather than personal discussion can also delay decision-making. "I find that many executives avoid conversation because they may be forced to make a decision or express an opinion," said one respondent. "If they can keep communications within e-mail, they can continually pass the buck around or back without having to commit. Management by failure to act may be the new favored process."
In other cases, communicating via technology can be effective. "Instant messages and e-mail are communication accelerators," said one executive. "Discussion databases are more efficient for larger groups. But there is no substitute for in-person communication when appropriate."
"Our organization uses DVDs as a medium to distribute corporate messages to significant segments of the work force and it is effective," said another.
The key is to use the correct communication method at the right time. "When give-and-take is required, there is no form of communication that works better than getting out of one’s chair and speaking to the person face to face," said one survey respondent. "If personal discussion is not an option, the telephone or Web conferencing is an acceptable second choice. If you aren’t concerned about the response, then e-mail, text message and memos work fine for pronouncements from on high."
With so much to do at work, it’s not always easy to find time for personal discussion. However, in the long term, face-to-face communication just might assure that communication is clear and understood.
Source: www.dailylocal.com
News Archive
Talk & Vison sluit strategisch partnership met Videxio. »»
Talk & Vision introduceert Personal Video in de cloud. Deze dienst maakt het mogelijk om videogesprekken in HD-kwaliteit te voeren met de eigen pc of laptop op elke gewenste locatie, zoals op luchthavens, in hotels, in cafés of thuis. »»
Recent onderzoek van security-onderzoeker HD Moore heeft aangegeven dat er een groot aantal H.323 systemen zijn die een veiligheidsrisico lopen. »»
Info
Ik wil graag een demo
-
Ik wil informatie
Aanmelden nieuwsbrief
The Visionary houdt u op de hoogte van de nieuwste ontwikkelingen in videoconferencing.
Bel mij terug
Geef hieronder uw telefoonnummer op en wij nemen direct contact met u op.
