Improving Communications

In today’s business world the daily onslaught of data and information seems to be rapidly escalating – just ads from radio, TV, magazines, billboards, and junk mail along with e-mail spam and telemarketing telephone calls bombard each of us in ever-increasing amounts. This “unwanted noise” makes it even more imperative than ever before for people to communicate with each other the best they can and for them to strive for effective, concise, and clear messaging not only on the job but elsewhere.

Communication occurs in a variety of forms: gestures, spoken word, written prose, visual imagery, as well as sounds, music, color, lighting, odor, tactile feel, temperature and even taste. Business communications can be in any combination of the above forms (and perhaps other forms as well) but for now, let us just consider more typical forms of day-to-day discourse shown in Table 1.


Each of these forms of communication has its own unique pros and cons. Unfortunately for those that think they have little time to spare, it takes time to maximize the chance the communication will be fully understood and even more time to ensure it is acted upon in the manner in which was intend.

Face to face communication, perhaps assisted with visual materials, is probably one of the most effective means of communicating, and doing so on a one-on-one basis is the most effective means. The time and other costs it takes to do so, prohibits this form of communication from being used extensively, but it should be used when the situation calls for it, such as in an emergency or other crisis, business or otherwise.

At the other extreme, a quickly composed postcard, such as one bearing a change of address, mailed to many can be a sufficient way to communicate relatively brief, commonly expressed information that is important, but not especially urgent in nature. Obviously, one wouldn’t expect the company CEO to telephone each and every vendor and customer with such news (however, they might wish to personally talk to very important and special customers).

So when you are deciding which form of communication should be used, consider the nature of the communication. Is it routine, such as a holiday schedule announcement? Or is it informational, such as directions on how to get to the company’s auditorium for a meeting? Or is it an emergency or crisis requiring that immediate instructions be given to key personnel?

Clear communications are necessary for maximizing efficiency and productivity as well as reducing inefficiencies, unneeded costs, and even workplace stress. The more complex the task, the more communications that will be required, and the greater the likelihood of one or more miscommunications will happen.

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