Posts Tagged ‘business communications’

Most of us know that communication is made up of words, tone, and body language . In addition, these three components are not equal in their impact.  Words make up only 7% of a message’s meaning. while tone accounts for 38% and body language tops the list at 55%.

So why is it that many crucial communications continue to be by way of email? If we are using words only, we are creating the potential for a huge disconnect between ourselves and others. So why not pick up the phone? My theory is that email is easier and is favored by those who want to avoid a potential conflict. Yet, what generally happens is the conflict becomes much larger than what it would have been if a phone had been used in the first place. And in turn takes more time to resolve than if you had chosen a more effective means to communicate such as a phone call. Or better yet, have a face to face conversation.

So before you have to communicate by email think about how it will impact an employee’s:

1. perception by other employees
2. performance
3. understanding of their performance
4. role in the organization

If the communication will impact any of the above, then pick up the phone or have a personal meeting with the employee

We all have encountered this type of person: someone who talks excessively, may repeat himself continually, and can’t get to the point.

In this age of sound bites, texting and tweets, it has become harder to tolerate the motormouth.  So how can you manage these individuals in a team meeting and also coach them in a one-on-one meeting to become more succinct in their communications?

In a team meeting

Set a tight agenda and use a countdown timer that is visible to everyone.  I use a free countdown timer that can be found at http://www.online-stopwatch.com.  If you have regular weekly meetings, then at the beginning of each meeting institute a time limit of 3-5 minutes for each team member to give their weekly update.  It is important when instituting this new process that you explain your purpose for doing so.  It may be that you want to decrease the time spent in meetings or that you want everyone to learn and experience how to become more concise in their verbal communications.

Give the rest of the team the job of actively listening to each individual’s update and noting information that could have been left out as well as information that might have been repeated.  Typically the motormouth on the team will continue to talk after the bell rings signaling that their time is up.  There will probably be others in the group that has some difficulty with limiting their remarks.  

For those who struggle with the time limit, suggest that they prepare their remarks in writing in advance of the meeting.  If team members frequently use texting to communicate, have them think of their presentation as short texts or tweets.  If team members don’t typically use texting, then perhaps they are more comfortable with the concept of short bullet points.

After each presenter’s 3-5 minutes are up, each team member has one minute to share their feedback with the presenter – what items were important to the team member and what could have been left out.  The presenter’s job is simply to listen to each team member’s feedback and then at the end of the feedback thank the person without further comment.

Using this methodology allows the team to focus on an effective team meeting and not any one individual’s presentation.  The process can benefit all team members’ listening and communication skills, and for you the manager, this process will free up some of your time as meetings become more focused and succinct.

In a one-on-one meeting

If you know of a nonstop talker who is a peer, what can you do?

Make the motormouth feel self-conscious by staying quiet while they speak.  Being quiet includes not uttering any words or sounds like, um or uh-huh.  The more sounds they hear the more they will talk.

When you do speak to the motormouth, speak slowly.  Since most nonstop talkers speak at a rapid rate, your slower rate of speaking will create a contrast for the motormouth and will hopefully get them to become more self-aware of how much they are talking.

In addition, don’t restate what you heard as it gives a nonstop talker the opportunity to repeat themselves.  Just let them know you understand and then say good-bye.  Later, send them an email confirming what you heard and ask them to respond back by way of email.

If none of these techniques work during the one-on-one meeting, take the time to coach them.  Share your observations with them about how much they talk, how it makes you feel, and how it impacts you.  They can’t say you are wrong about your feelings.  If you are their manager/leader, ask them how they think their behavior may impact others on the team who don’t have the opportunity to talk and share their ideas with others.  With all their talking, ask them what they think they may be missing from others, both in the office and at home?

In summary: whether in group or individual meetings, the value of managing and coaching motormouths is huge!  Your meetings will be shorter, you will be able to focus on the important aspects of your job, and the nonstop talker as well as other team members will become more effective communicators.

During the past six to nine months, many executives that I have worked with have had to let employees go in order to survive the economic downturn. They have also had to look at all of their discretionary expenses and cut many of these expenses as well.

The planning of such programs is not the difficult part. It is the actual implementation of these cost cutting programs that is the most difficult for both the manager and employees. How managers’ lead during the following months after the job and expense cuts have been made is critical to employee morale and productivity. Executives that are focused on the future after the economy recovers and display key behaviors prior to the recovery will be positioned for a robust recovery. Those executives who are stuck in today’s economy and aren’t taking care of their current employees will be rudely awakened when the economy bounces back.

So who are the executives that have companies that will survive and thrive? What are they doing on a consistent basis? What do they value?

What are the High Level Leaders Doing?

The leaders that I work with who are managing at a higher level, than those who aren’t, genuinely believe that the employees who remain after the reduction in workforce are their most valuable resource. How do I know this? I know it from both what they say AND what they do.

What are they saying that makes me believe they are a high level leader? I first listen for the actual words that they use. Leaders whose vocabulary is dominated with “we, us, the team, and the company” tell me that they make decisions which are best for the company and not themselves. Those leaders who when talking about their employees use words like “development, potential, valuable, encourage, coach, and mentor” tell me that employees are important, valuable, and should be invested in.

An example of this was a recent conversation I had with a business owner of a product distribution company that was rapidly growing until about six months ago. He had recently let go several employees and was sharing his concerns with me about the remaining employees. He lamented how difficult it was to let go of some very valuable employees and that he was concerned that those that remained were working even harder to fill in the gaps left from those who were let go. He went on to say that he wanted to encourage all of his employees so they would remain as committed and motivated as they were before the layoffs. He felt and believed that it was his mission to help all of his employees be engaged and motivated.

What do they do to display their concern for their employees? They are accessible to employees and often leave their office and walk around the office to observe their employees in action and answer any questions they may have. They constantly look for great performance by employees then praise them for their efforts. They create opportunities for employees to praise and recognize each other during project and team meetings. They celebrate small and large successes.

A great example of this is a technology company that I work with. The president gets out of his office each day and walks the halls and cubicles to visit with employees. This is something that he has been doing for years and with a recent reduction in workforce, these walks have become even more important to him. He is finely tuned into the interactions he observes and doesn’t miss the opportunity to offer his help and assistance. And recently he has added a very inexpensive benefit to all employees. Twice a week he has a trainer come in to provide group fitness classes to employees. They use the warehouse space as the training facility and he participates in the training. More importantly, he pays for this out of his own pocket and communicated this to his employees because he was concerned that if he didn’t share his donation there would be a mixed message—the company can afford a trainer twice a week but couldn’t afford the employees that were recently let go.

This leader demonstrated his commitment to his employees by being present both during times of work and play. And by being present he was able to assist individual employees when help was needed. Employees felt and believed that leadership was committed to supporting them through these difficult times.

When employees believe that their leaders care, support, and want to genuinely help them on a consistent basis, they are committed and become loyal and fully engaged with their employer. So when the economy rebounds, which it will, these employees will not be looking for the exit rather they will be rallying with their leader for success. And remember to continue to lead at a higher level even after you and your company gets through the downturn! Thee leadership practices will keep you competitive!