Working World - Organizational

I had just won a contract; I was thrilled!– Then, bang! A hand slammed down on the desk and my client said, “Ok, now we can go to bed together!” I turned red. I lost my breath. I felt personally invaded. Only later did I find out that the client simply meant the deal was done and now we could work together. Well, how was I supposed to know? I had never heard that expression before.

What about you? Have you ever been told that being successful in today’s workplace is no slam dunk; that you always have to keep your eyes on the ball because some people play hardball and you don’t want to be stuck in left field? When were you last advised to hold your fire, pick your battles, learn to fight on another front, play a shell game and don’t get trapped behind the lines? Now, that’s sure a mouthful of clichés!

It seems we are mangling our communication at all ends of the spectrum. We get caught up in “corporate speak”; spewing out every new or popular business buzzword learned in the last week. And I’m sure there a few of us who are glad the phrase paradigm shift is no longer trendy. When was the last time you were annoyed by people who tag slang phrases such as you know onto the beginning of every sentence and then conclude with bingo or right? We’ve even invented a whole new vocabulary: Xeroxing, outsourcing, downsizing, rightsizing, outplacement and benchmarking.

It’s interesting too that acronyms have grown to be so common place. BBQ and BYOB have been overtaken by IT, CPU, BBT, OOP, SIN and VLTs. And unfortunately it seems the move to a more casual and informal workplace has created an open invitation to liberally sprinkle comments with foul language. Now, I’m not a prude but learning multiple strings of swear words are becoming so common in workplace language is quite disturbing.

Technology and our drive for speed are changing communication too. Today, with email, we find ourselves communicating without the help of body language or tone of voice. This can cause misinterpretations that have a substantial impact on business initiatives, customer relations and the bottom line.

Do you remember a children’s folly called Pig Latin? Wasn’t it fun to pronounce words backwards so that others wouldn’t understand? Well, that might be fun for kids, but in business it’s a game that can cost you money.

I don’t get it. If communication is the lifeblood of an organization, why aren’t we paying more attention to the quality of communication? Communication impacts on everything from employee and customer relationships, to productivity and profitability.

For instance, it is well known that interpersonal work relationships are difficult to repair once someone has become confrontational, raised their voice, ridiculed a colleague or responded to a question in an aggressive, derogatory manner. An intimidating, poisonous work environment will only drain the energy from all your employees and soon people will leave.

Have you ever lost a customer to poor communication? Did they misunderstand your terminology? Your buzz words? Were you so busy using corporate speak that you didn’t listen? It only makes sense that employees who are not given clear directions waste valuable time pursuing the wrong goals. Imagine the disappointment when they find they didn’t succeed in spite of working so hard. Take a look at the drain on your bottom line and see what that cost you!

Communication is a critical business skill that is becoming even more important as business goes global. We all need to be more serious about elevating the quality of all our interactions. With face-to-face situations, it’s important to understand communication styles and recognize that people listen to different cues.

You need to plan your communication rather than replying impulsively. Assess the audience, determine the message, match your tone of voice and anticipate your listener’s response. Then, express yourself clearly and succinctly. Remember that what you say and how you say it are equally as important. Next, learn to recognize the body language traits of your team members so that you can quickly determine how the listener feels about what you are saying.

Please, please, don’t overuse the latest business buzz words. It makes it look like you don’t have an original thought in your head. Remember, customers and colleagues can quickly see through this shallow communication so you really aren’t impressing them after all. I can’t believe how many clichés we use each day, but avoid them where you can. And finally, show respect for others when you communicate.

Managers must take a very proactive role to ensure that effective communication contributes to business objectives and overall success. Take a serious look at how to translate your thoughts into plain English without the use of multiple contortions of words and phrases. Take time to document the abbreviations or acronyms that are used in the workplace; then create a dictionary of terms and make it readily available. Ban foul language and take steps to correct it when you hear it. Use communication as a strategy to keep employees informed and motivated toward your business goals.

How about email? Are employees using code or plain English? Are there inappropriate references or off-colour jokes? I believe that email should apply the same greetings and pleasantries that would be expected in paper based form. After all, there is nothing more insulting than receiving a message that simply barks out an order without the common courtesy of a hello.

The success of your business is dependent on clear and effective communication. Don’t expect anything less.