Communication and message interpretation changes with each
modality it is delivered in. For
this week’s assignment, we were given the same message delivered three
different ways: email, voicemail,
and face-to-face (via video). The
message is in regards to obtaining a missing report that is vital to the
originator’s task. Without the
report, the originator is unable to perform their work and provide information
by the assigned due date.
The first modality explored is email. In my opinion, the email was wordy,
indirect, and didn’t express the urgent need upfront. The email opens with a statement that the person may be in a
meeting or workshop all day and away from their computer. This statement means email is not the
best choice to communicate with them.
The communication continues asking for the report, but not providing a
deadline of when the report is needed.
It is only asked if they could provide an ETA on when it will be
complete. If this was my message to
someone I would have began with what was needed in the opening statement and
provide a date when the information is due by. Dr. Stolovitch (Laureate Education Inc, 2010) states that
the purpose of a communication needs to be mentioned upfront, and in the first
sentence or two if possible.
Because it is assumed the recipient has been away from their desk, the
email may be more effective as a follow-up to a face-to-face interaction or a
voicemail. If it was a follow-up,
I would have stated that the email was a follow-up to the previous
communication.
The second modality explored was a voice message left for
the individual. The message was
the best out of the three explored, but could still be improved. I felt the voice was lacking emotion
and a sense of urgency. While the
voice was not monotone, it did lack inflection and came across as being
required to call the individual.
The voice sounded bored and not really interested in obtaining the
report. This could be for several
reasons, one of those being that the individual with the late report is always
late and the voice is accustomed to having to follow-up on the individual.
The last modality presented was a video representing
face-to-face communication. This
was my least favorite of all three communication types viewed in this
exercise. The person looked
defeated, sounded uninterested, and had non-verbal gestures that could be
viewed as inappropriate. The
individual only gestures when speaking about the late report, which could be
interpreted as placing blame on the person they are speaking to. She also looks away when asking for a
ETA or if the report could be sent via email. This tells me she is not comfortable speaking to this person
and requesting information.
Overall, while the message in all three scenarios was the
same, I felt the voicemail was the most effective in this scenario. Major improvements could have taken place in all three
examples. In general, the message
was not clear, concise, and focused as Dr. Stolovitch (Laureate Education Inc, 2010)
suggested it should be. Each
communication should have started with the purpose and intent of the
communication, and included specifics as to what was being requested and by
when. Email and voicemail may have
been the wrong choices to communicate with if the person has been gone all
day. Depending on the
circumstances, voicemail and/or face-to-face would be my primary choice for
communication with email as my last choice. The choice of words is also important in portraying a
message. The choices used in the
examples make the requester come across as unsure, defeated, and uninterested
in all examples presented.
Research has been performed on effective communication forms as well as leadership and communication styles. Gluckler & Schrott (2007) have found that face-to-face communication is the most effective type of communication form among teams when compared to email and mobile email (smartphone). Voicemail was not included in the study. Traditional email (sent via desktop computer versus mobile device) was effective in summarizing meetings, decisions, and communicating to a broader audience that included people who were kept up to date on the team's progress. Mobile email was by far found to be the least effective for communication in a team setting. Based on this study, as work published by Allen (1977), effectiveness of communication decreases over distance. After about 30 feet of separation, the message being communicated becomes distorted and loses impact. F2F communication is recognized as being the strongest, best, and most effective form of communication. But as an effective communicator, verbal and non-verbal cues still remain an important part of the message. As previously mentioned, I preferred voicemail over the F2F message provided in this week's case study. The non-verbal message the person communicated overshadowed what she was trying to accomplish. In summary, careful thought must be applied to the message, choice of words, non-verbal message, and mode of communication. Attention should be paid to the background and personality of the person you are communicating with to ensure it will be an effective fit.
Research has been performed on effective communication forms as well as leadership and communication styles. Gluckler & Schrott (2007) have found that face-to-face communication is the most effective type of communication form among teams when compared to email and mobile email (smartphone). Voicemail was not included in the study. Traditional email (sent via desktop computer versus mobile device) was effective in summarizing meetings, decisions, and communicating to a broader audience that included people who were kept up to date on the team's progress. Mobile email was by far found to be the least effective for communication in a team setting. Based on this study, as work published by Allen (1977), effectiveness of communication decreases over distance. After about 30 feet of separation, the message being communicated becomes distorted and loses impact. F2F communication is recognized as being the strongest, best, and most effective form of communication. But as an effective communicator, verbal and non-verbal cues still remain an important part of the message. As previously mentioned, I preferred voicemail over the F2F message provided in this week's case study. The non-verbal message the person communicated overshadowed what she was trying to accomplish. In summary, careful thought must be applied to the message, choice of words, non-verbal message, and mode of communication. Attention should be paid to the background and personality of the person you are communicating with to ensure it will be an effective fit.
References
Allen, TJ. (1977). Managing the Flow of Technology: Technology Transfer and the Dissemination of Technological Information Within the R&D Organization. Boston, MA: The MIT Press.
Gluckler, J. and Schrott, G. (2007). Leadership and Performance in Virtual Teams: Exploring Brokerage in Electronic Communication. International Journal of e-Collaboration, 3(3), 31.
Allen, TJ. (1977). Managing the Flow of Technology: Technology Transfer and the Dissemination of Technological Information Within the R&D Organization. Boston, MA: The MIT Press.
Gluckler, J. and Schrott, G. (2007). Leadership and Performance in Virtual Teams: Exploring Brokerage in Electronic Communication. International Journal of e-Collaboration, 3(3), 31.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Communicating with Stakeholders [DVD]. In EDUC 6145. Baltimore, MD.
Leanne,
ReplyDeleteI had not considered that the context of an all-day meeting potentially makes email less suitable if it risks delaying communication. On the other hand, email is generally the fastest way to reach me, because I receive all of my email on my cell phone, which is with me 24/7. I suppose the appropriateness of email as a means to reach someone quickly depends on personal circumstances.
I thought you made an excellent point about email etiquette that I had not considered, that an email should be concise and to the point, especially if it is to communicate an urgent need. While I don’t always follow my own advice, my general “rule” for business emails is to construct them as a newspaper article, presenting an overview first, and supplying increasing detail as the email progresses. Your reference to email etiquette reminded me of other considerations that accompany the use of email, such as the need to be aware that an email is potentially a permanent record of a conversation that can be a source of risk in the event of a legal dispute. (“Email etiquette”)
Reference:
Email etiquette. (n.d.). Red Earth Software. Retrieved from http://www.emailreplies.com/
Leanne, you bring up some very good ideas surrounding the three forms of communication. I also like your detail to the way each is delivered.
ReplyDeleteThis blog assignment has proven to me to be mostly interesting because it points out that despite the fact we all got the basic message delivered the urgency levels, accountability levels, and effectiveness are different among us.
I tend to fall back on the idea that I can get the best sense of accountability with writing. Because I cannot make anyone do anything, I want to at least have accountability on my side, and the email supplies this. As the receiver of communication I appreciate the ability to revisit the written note to make sure that I have gotten the full meaning. This is especially true with items I can’t attend to at the time of the communication.
The face-to-face example in the video was not effective for me due to the style of delivery, however I must admit according to the text for this course it provides for some good qualities of communication. In the text Project Management, the authors discuss the value of the recipient’s ability to ask clarifying questions, and also the fact that face-to-face communication can be tailored to the audience’s interests and needs (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, and Kramer, 2008).
Reference
Portny, S., Mantel, S., Meredith, J., Shafer, S., Sutton, M., & Kramer, B. (2008). Project Management: Planning, scheduling and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Leanne,
ReplyDeleteI too felt that the voicemail was the best of the three modalities. I also had similar feelings about the voicemail's inflection, she sounded almost passive in her message.
While I did not interpret the messages in the exact manner as you I can see your point of view, which goes to show how important both verbal and non-verbal communication can be.
David -
ReplyDeleteI think it depends on where you work and if you know someone has a BlackBerry, iPhone, or other device they receive email on. It's easy to assume that everyone has a device to read email on, but even if they have one they aren't always checking it if it is an important meeting.
Chris -
I agree with the both you and this week's authors that F2F is both the most powerful but needs to be done right. I agree with you regarding the style of delivery in our example. It could have been much more powerful if non-verbal cues were paid closer attention to. As you mentioned, Portny et al., state that F2F can be more powerful and effective, which I also agree with. It is a fine line which we walk when we communicate with others.
Leanne,
ReplyDeleteThis was a great post! You made some very sound points that I did not see at first, but looking back you were right. The email was wordy without getting straight to the point and if Mark was already late, Jane should have provided her own ETA. If communication is going to be clear and concise it should not be surround by unnecessary information. I thought that face to face communication was the best because I felt that Jane was the least threatening in this choice. She seemed understanding and polite, but after reading your post I am going to go back and look for those non-verbal cues you mentioned.
S -
ReplyDeletePlease let me know if you had a chance to go back and reevaluate the media file. I'm interested to know if others picked up on what I saw. Others have said that they felt she didn't portray a sense of urgency, but I don't think many others noted the non-verbal cues I saw.