Communication occurs when the message that is received matches the one you gave.

Of course, there is a bit more to it than that.

You also expect to see certain action taken as a result, but just because people don’t do what you ask, doesn’t mean that they didn’t understand. That might be the case, but it’s equally true that they may want to do something else.

It’s essential that you make the distinction between the two, otherwise you could be simply repeating yourself for no reason.

 

Too busy to communicate?

The idea that you’re too busy to communicate is ludicrous.

If you are unable to get your message across, then you might as well be a solopreneur.

Communication is essential – some have called it the life-blood – of your organization.

Without it, everyone will work to their own agenda.

There will be little if any coordination, and there may well be a great deal of overlap and re-inventing of the wheel.

 

Appropriate communication channels

In the old days, before the 1990s, organizational hierarchies were commonplace.

We spoke of silos, because that’s what many chains-of-command looked like.

The idea that you could talk to someone who was in another chain was unheard of. You invited a firm slap on the wrist if you tried it.

You were told what your boss felt you needed to know and discouraged from learning anymore, especially without his (it was mostly men in those days) approval.

That’s all changed, at least to the extent that the hierarchies are so much flatter now.

 

One way that managers have attempted to compensate for this is by resorting to less personal forms of communication: Newsletters, flyers, bulletin boards, and email, worded in the third person.

Occasionally – that means that is a few instances – these are effective ways to communicate; but despite their convenience, they shouldn’t be relied upon.

The most effective communication is still face-to-face, and where possible, that’s what you should use.

At the same time, you shouldn’t gather everyone in a big room for an hour while you “brief” them. If ever there was an appropriate time to send an email or a newsletter, then that’s it.

Employees hate it when you waste their time. You should, too.

The means that you use to communicate should always be what is the most appropriate for the message and the recipient.

What is easy doesn’t even come into it.

That’s because what’s easy may not be effective.

For example, which do you think is the most effective, sending your wife or partner an email that says, “I love you” or personally saying it?

(That was a rhetorical question, by the way.)

 

Communicating with your team

It’s amazing that this even has to be discussed.

If you have several teams of people, then you have to put in their diaries a date and time when you will have a meeting.

And it’s better if it’s the same whenever you do it.

If, for example, you want to meet weekly, then a good time would probably be first thing on Monday morning.

That’s because at that time, no one has had a chance to start on anything.

Teams should be autonomous.

All you really need to do is to be kept abreast of their progress and informed when they need your help on something.

The rest of the time, you should stay out of their way.

A weekly meeting could be fairly short – an hour or an hour and a half.

If everyone knows that they’re expected to be in the office, or available if they’re travelling, for a weekly team meeting, then as long as you enforce it, everyone will always be there except in an emergency.

That’s how it has to be.

If you decide to have your meetings bi-weekly or monthly, then the same thing applies.

Choose the same day of the week and time. People can block off that time in their diaries for months.

You can never wait until it’s convenient or you’re not busy.

Outside of hospital and retirement, those times don’t exist.

You’re kidding yourself if you think they do.

Make sure that what you discuss in your face-to-face meetings consists only of those things that couldn’t be communicated effectively in any other way.

That’s how you manage your time and show respect for the time of others.

 

Take the busyness out of business

How do you take the busyness out of business?

Largely, by doing just one thing.

What is that one thing?

It is to minimize interruptions.

Whether you interrupt others or yourself only, it takes about 20 minutes to get back to where you were before the interruption.

If all you have is a question for someone, unless you can’t move on or find something else to do, you shouldn’t interrupt them to ask it.

Wait.

Let him or her carry on until there’s a natural lull such as when that person gets up to get some coffee.

This will help you both to be more productive.

 

Flexibility

If you find that you need more frequent meetings, then schedule them. You can always cancel them if they are unneeded.

The key is to be flexible.

There’s a tonne of advice out there that dictates all sorts of rigid plans for when to have meetings: 15 minutes to an hour every day, catch-ups 5-10 minutes long twice per day, 1-2-1 meetings, and time alone are just some of them.

All of them may be appropriate at one time or another. Certainly, having thinking time alone is essential and you already know that face-to-face is preferable where possible.

Schedule one main meeting on a regular basis and see how it goes. Schedule more when it becomes apparent that that’s what ‘s needed.

If you’re observant, then you’ll see patterns.

Some teams, depending on who’s on them and the projects they’re working on, will require more time with you than others.

As a manager, however, that’s your job; to manage them.

Managing them is not an unnecessary interruption.

 

Be willing to change

Circumstances change. People change. Teams change. Projects change.

That means that your meeting times will also have to change.

Don’t become so locked into your method that you can’t or won’t adapt it according to the needs of the situation.

You’ll drive yourself nuts if you do.

 

Keep it simple

One thing that we human beings have a real flair for is taking something that is inherently simple and making it more complicated.

We know how to add policies,  rules, and forms, but not how to get rid of the ones that don’t matter any more.

It’s okay to keep notes or even make files, but do all you can to keep it simple. Administration can take on a life of its own.

The purpose of admin is to help everything else run more smoothly; not to become a self-perpetuating entity.

 

Meeting structure

The structure of all meetings should be according to the needs of the meeting.

They don’t need to be an hour long, for example, just because a 60 minutes has been allocated.

If you can accomplish the business at hand in half that time, then do it.

Also, make sure that you leave time for questions and discussion.

If it looks like you’re going to overrun, then postpone the rest of the agenda for another time; but don’t cut off the discussion in order to get through your points. It’s impossible to pick up where you left off later.

If you’re familiar with the concept of a Master-Mind Group, then this will be crystal clear.

 

Start on time and finish on time

Don’t wait for anyone.

When you wait, you send a message to all concerned that those times are flexible. It won’t be long before more people straggle in late, or tell you they have to leave early to go somewhere else.

And make sure that everyone who will attend has an agenda far enough in advance that they can prepare for the meeting.

Doing so will improve the quality of your time together.

One final thing, and it’s been mentioned already: If there’s nothing pressing and no one has anything that needs to be discussed at that time, then cancel the meeting.

There are no prizes for getting everyone together when they and you have other things to do.

You’ll read a lot of stuff that will tell you the opposite.

That’s rubbish.

 

Don’t hold unnecessary meetings.

That said, don’t cancel them because you’re too busy.

As you know from your own experience, everyone is busy.

That problem was identified at the beginning of this article, remember?

If you’re too busy to communicate appropriately, then you’re too busy to be in business; however, if you schedule unnecessary meetings, then you have only yourself to blame.

The thing that makes communication work is the flexibility to adapt to the needs of the people involved.

As long as you keep that in mind, you should be fine.

 

When you are ready to improve your communication skills – start a conversation with me