{"id":1377,"date":"2019-12-13T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-13T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/inswwdev.azurewebsites.net\/au\/insights\/uncategorized\/everybody-talks-but-who-is-listening\/"},"modified":"2019-12-13T01:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-12-13T01:00:00","slug":"everybody-talks-but-who-is-listening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/insights\/geek-speak\/modern-workplace\/everybody-talks-but-who-is-listening\/","title":{"rendered":"Everybody Talks; But Who is Listening?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Five Simple Strategies to Improve Communication<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I ponder the importance communication plays in our daily lives, I am reminded of a quote by George Bernard Shaw: \u2018The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place\u2019. Wow, no wonder we walk away from some interactions wondering \u2018what just happened?\u2019. Communication is important in our everyday lives, in the interactions we have with people, both personally and professionally. It could be argued it is the single most important aspect in the successful delivery of a project. However, it goes deeper than that. It is the entire basis of human existence, without it, would we still be living in caves? Please allow me to expand on how important communication is to business, and in particular, project management.<\/p>\n

The basic mechanics of communication includes a sender, a receiver (or multiple receivers) and finally, the message<\/p>\n

Generally speaking, most communications fall into the formal and informal category. At Insentra, we have a monthly \u00a0\u2018All Hands\u2019 meeting where our CEO, Ronnie Altit, communicates what\u2019s been happening, what is in the pipeline and many other great topics. Last month he focused on the value of gratitude and being grateful, not just in the workplace, but in our everyday lives. It\u2019s an awesome time to come together and celebrate our successes over the last period and shout out the amazing work our teams are doing. James Humes writes, \u201cThe art of communication is the language of leadership\u201d, Ronnie, you smash it!<\/p>\n

Many formal communications are slower than their informal counterparts. For example, you are invited to a meeting I am hosting and minuting. After it has wrapped up, I review what was discussed, distribute the meeting minutes and hope everyone reads it and responds in some way<\/span>. Informal communications might take place in the office around the coffee machine, a spontaneous phone call or instant message, and may reap rewards quickly and on the spot. Informal communication can also build solidarity and help team members create a sense of belonging. Side note, we have an awesome coffee machine at Insentra named Franke\u2026 just saying!<\/p>\n

Below are my five points to remember when communicating, which may make transactions smoother and less open to errors in interpretation:<\/p>\n

1. Speak To Your Audience<\/h3>\n

When communicating your point use language which is considerate of the group and allows for easy understanding. If you are in a technical meeting you can use technical jargon and assume the team understands what you\u2019re saying. Using acronyms in an internal status meeting may be okay but may not translate appropriately in meetings with non-technical people, executives or other key stakeholders. If you want your message to get across, you need to tailor your language, content and context to the specific audience.<\/p>\n

2. Actively Listen<\/h3>\n

Practice active listening by not thinking about what you\u2019re going to say next; pause and listen to what other people are saying. We can all tell when a person is thinking of their next line and not paying full attention. Respect your conversation partner and hear them out. What they are saying may even change the course of the conversation and you may miss it. It\u2019s ok not to have an answer or response straight away, ask another question to delve deeper and be present as the exchange takes place. I promise you, your relationships will benefit! Check for non-verbal visual clues like body language and facial expression as this is an indication of how the audience is responding to the information you\u2019re delivering. Even when speaking in front of a large group, people are communicating with you through non-verbal means, like eye contact, yawning, looking out the window. As Dan Oswald observed, \u201cCommunication must be HOT, that\u2019s Honest, Open and Two-way!\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Remove Distractions<\/h3>\n

My husband and I often notice couples sitting together, both on their phones, either texting or looking on one of the multiple social media platforms and not truly present.. I am sure it kills intimacy with one blow. The same occurs in meetings and intra-office conversations. When in meetings give your full attention, engage and interact. \u00a0You have been invited because you\u2019re important to the conversation. People feel the need to respond immediately when an email or a text comes in. It seems we have created a culture where we are \u2018on\u2019 24\/7 and to be honest technology, and the world in general is getting crazier and faster. Don\u2019t perpetuate this phenomenon. At Insentra, we believe it is important to respond to emails during the same day, however, it does not mean in the next two nanoseconds. It is important to respect and value the time of the people we are currently engaging with. So put away your phones, stop typing and engage!<\/p>\n

4. Preparation<\/h3>\n

The adage \u201cfail to prepare, then prepare to fail\u201d is still as true today as it ever has been. Review what you need to say, think about what you want to achieve through the interaction and try to anticipate any questions which may arise. I feel more prepared and I am able to get answers to any questions I have and once the meeting is over, I review, amend and shoot out the summary of what was discussed. Another great tool is the use of presentations, like PowerPoint, which provides a visual representation of what is being discussed. I mean, let\u2019s face it, some of us are visual learners- give me pictures any day! At Insentra we make it a common practice to include an Agenda in every meeting invite. Having an Agenda gives the participants a heads up on what we will be discussing and enables them to come prepared.<\/p>\n

5. Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts of Written Communications<\/h3>\n

Ensure the subject line of an email provides a summary of what the email is about. It alerts the reader to the priority of the content and indication of what is contained. I like to place the name of the project at the start as it makes sorting email so much more efficient. Edit, re-read, edit and edit again. When sending a communication to executives and key stakeholders it is important to re-read your work. I suggest re-reading after taking a small break from the comms, as this helps highlight any errors in grammar which can easily be overlooked. It is not advisable to send lengthy emails where the same can be said in fewer words. People are busy, inboxes are out of control and when consuming the content of an email, a lot is lost if it is long and repetitive. Oh, and did I mention, please don\u2019t be repetitive. Try to address emails in chunks throughout the day, not as they come into your inbox, to avoid breaking concentration, \u00a0and what can be quickly resolved with a phone call, perhaps should be.<\/p>\n

Basic communication between two or more people requires a certain level of understanding and assumption. However, it is the responsibility of the person trying to communicate the idea to encode the message in a way the receiver can decode easily and successfully. If you are using jargon or acronyms you shouldn\u2019t just assume your message is getting across. Be respectful and kind when communicating difficult topics, make sure you relate your message to suit your audience. In the end, the objective is to convey a message to get stuff done, not about ego or making people feel small. So don\u2019t do that, be an adult and communicate respectfully. Remember to value your audience and the time they have given to you, don\u2019t waste it\u2026 we can all make more money, but we can\u2019t make more time. Time is a precious and diminishing commodity.<\/p>\n

Until next time, happy and healthy communicating!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Five Simple Strategies to Improve Communication As I ponder the importance communication plays in our daily lives, I am reminded of a quote by George Bernard Shaw: \u2018The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place\u2019. Wow, no wonder we walk away from some interactions wondering \u2018what just happened?\u2019. Communication… Continue reading Everybody Talks; But Who is Listening?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":1378,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-modern-workplace","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1377"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1377\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insentragroup.com\/gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}