Communication - 16 July 2007

Did you know that we're exposed to over 3,000 pieces of advertising every single day? How many of these do we remember - or even notice? Only a few. And the reason why we're able to remember those few is because they were communicated in a way that was unique and that resonated. The exact same principle applies when we're communicating with employees. Out of the three main ways to communicate (face-to-face, over the phone, and via email), email is obviously the easiest. As a result, it's used by over 70 percent of managers as their primary method of communication - even though it's the least engaging method.

In an era where employees are receiving over 100 emails a day, your message is getting lost in hundreds of emails a day and thousands of emails a month - just like advertising. Eventually people become oblivious to it. That's why face-to-face is the most engaging way of communicating with employees and the most effective way to get your message across.

Sometimes without even realising it, we implement a closed-door policy at work - even in workplaces where offices don't exist. By communicating face-to-face as much as possible, tones are more easily interpreted, relationships are naturally formed, and we get an immediate response to our message.

Email is an amazing tool that has revolutionised our workplaces. And yet it's interesting to see how something that's been so useful has morphed into a communication barrier. It seems that our reliance on email is having a similar effect to a message in a bottle. We keep hoping that it will eventually reach its destination, but it rarely ever does.

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