4 cardinal sins of work communication

With the variety of communication methods available, it's easy to grow frustrated by annoying associates or clueless clients. It's also easy to find yourself becoming a pest.

This article was originally published by Fortune.com on Thursday, July 19, 2012.

By Katherine Reynolds Lewis, contributor

FORTUNE -- Everybody knows a communications outlaw. Maybe it's the colleague who sends you three emails in the space of an hour, each with partially formed ideas about a project. Or the conference call host who lets the conversation ramble, without any thought of an agenda.

With the variety of communication methods available, it's easy to grow frustrated by annoying associates or clueless clients. But is it possible that your own behavior is bugging someone else?



"We're not using these tools as productively as we could," says Leslie Perlow, author of Sleeping with your Smartphone and a professor at Harvard Business School. "There's a huge opportunity here, in small doable steps, to create much better communications."

In the interest of helping us all avoid communications purgatory, here's a brief taxonomy of the worst offenders.



The smartphone addict

You know this guy (or gal). His phone is on the table during every meeting or lunch. He can't stop fiddling with it. The worst addicts actually check email and type responses while other people are talking.

The problem: The message the smartphone addict is sending, deliberately or not, is that you aren't a priority. Something or someone more important could potentially reach out at any minute. "If the phone's on the table, it shows where your attention is," says Matthew Proman, founder of the National Association of Professional Women, a business networking company.

The solution: Put the phone away. You actually will live for 60 minutes without checking email or text messages. It's just that simple. If you're expecting a genuinely urgent call, explain that at the start of your meeting, and excuse yourself from the room if the call comes through. As a bonus, you'll get more out of your in-person interactions without the electronic leash.

Read the full article at Fortune.com.

0 comments: