Recently I was teaching a class on enhancing networking
skills and I polled the adult professional participants on the number one thing
that made them crazy about their work place. After a bit of debate they indicated it was a lack of
communication from administration to the workers, and the same communication
deficits from the workers to their supervisors. Then I asked them "How many of
you are overly dependent on your email to communicate?" In this class of around
twenty-five, most of the hands in the room when up. I couldn't help but be struck by the obvious contradiction
in the exercise.
Folks recognized that communication was their primary problem,
yet they failed to see that the means of communication they were dependent on
actually contribute to the problem!
Electronic communication is great for sending basic information,
sharing written documents, and arranging meeting, events, and confirming
appointments. Just last week I was
talking to a client, when I wanted to share a document. I hit a couple buttons suddenly we were
looking at the same document. It
is truly amazing that we can share information like this with such speed. Email and electronic communication has
changed the way we do business, brought families together, and improved the
opportunity to meet and communicate immediately with people all over the
word. It is truly revolutionary! But
with any revolution, there are causalities.
Loss of Integrity: Written language conveys
concepts, and provides information, but is seriously lacking in the nuances,
tone, clarity, and integrity that speaking face-to-face offers. You can get as close to what you want to
say, but no matter how good of a writer you are, seeing the person saying it
delivers far more meaning. Facial
expression, body stance, tone, tempo, and volume all provide a rich context for
communicating.
Loss of Interpersonal Skills:
Counselors, teachers, HR professionals, and college advisors tell me that more
and more students are coming in for interviews and are inappropriate due to
their inability to read facial cues, and engage in face-to-face communication. So much time is being spent on email
and electronic communication that students are losing the ability to
communicate personally. Students
tend to either over react or under react to their peers because of their
inability to accurately read social and facial cues!
Increased Social Isolation: In
one high school I visited, the school decided to go totally
electronic. This meant that every
student in the school had a laptop.
In previous years the cafeteria was like any normal school cafeteria;
loud, chaotic, and interactive.
Today the climate of the cafeteria is more like a library. Students are quietly working on their
computers having limited person-to-person interactions. There are even students emailing other
students at the same lunch table! Previously
young people would go out after school and get together with friends but are
now at home on the computer. They
don't even have to leave the house to go to the library. Books can be ordered on line, and even
delivered to your e-reader!
Inability to Work in Teams: In
speaking with a manager from a local defense company, he indicated his biggest
problem was trying to get his new employees to effectively work together. He said they are great at finding
information, facts, and preparing reports, but don't ask them work together to
solve a problem or come up with new ideas.
Lack of Creativity: Many managers today report that their new hires come to them
willing to work, but want every aspect of their job laid out for them. And, when they can't find an immediate
answer they don't seem to have the ability or patience to find creative solutions. Even
in my community prevention work, individuals look for programs to solve their problems, rather than willingly engaging in finding creative solutions within the community.
Does this sound like you, your employees, or your
organization? So what can we do
about it? In my next newsletter I'll
outline six quick things you can begin to do today to improve the communication
in your office, organization or school. I hope you continue to enjoy your summer, and above . . .
Be well,
John
