In my last newsletter, I outlined five ways electronic communication is negatively impacting your business, organization or school.  So what do we do about it?  To answer the five problems, here are six quick things you can begin to do today to drastically improve the communication in your business, organization or school.   This problem is progressive, so don't wait!

First, rebuild relationships that have deteriorated over time by  increasing face-to-face contacts.  Real, valuable relationships are built on face-to-face contact over time.  If face-to-face is not possible, try video conferencing.  It is not always possible, but with Skype, ooVo, and other free services, it is becoming far more realistic for everyone.  No video capabilities?  Try an old fashion phone call!  I know its old fashion, but retro is "in," and it's far better than an email.  You get to hear the person, their sincerity, and even some background noise.  By the way, if someone does call you, stop typing.  People on the other end can hear the click, click, click of your inattention.  Value their call and you value the relationship.  Can't call? Then perhaps, you might try writing a letter.  I received a hand written thank you recently.  I can't tell you how long it has been since I got anything hand written.  It made a great  impression!  Last but not least, resort to email, and finally a text message.  These should be the media of last resort, if you really want to build meaningful relationships. 

Second, hold daily five-minute staff "touch" meetings.  Some of my clients meet in their break room, or kitchen daily for a short five minute standing staff meetings.  It is amazing how much you can get done quickly when you are not seated in comfortable chairs.  The biggest complaint I hear from organizations that have multiple locations is their feeling of being disconnected.  It is easy to get angry and blame people you never have to see.  But when you meet with them on a regular basis, it raises the need for civility.   The more often you meet, the more chance there is to clarify even good communication.

Third, start each of your meetings with a transitional two-minute brain storming session.  This allows those participating to get settled in, and for everyone to orient themselves to the purpose of the meeting and the group.  One method for doing this is: Select two objects in the room and in two minutes, have attendees get into pairs and try to come up with as many things you can think of, for how these two objects are alike.  Have participants write down what they come up with and see who comes up with the most items.  You are looking for quantity of answers, and not quality, so anything goes.  It may seem wacky, but exercise helps build trust among members, improve communication, and greatly improve creative thinking and problem solving.  By the way, the average number of answers for two people to come up on their first try is six to eight items within two minutes.

Fourth, create a space and time for folks to gather informally.  Relationship building in unstructured spaces improves personal comfort, enhances communication and improves morale and trust.  When people who work together get the chance to know each other personally, they often begin to work more cohesively.  I remember years ago reading that to improve communication and build trust across their system, Microsoft had a rule for their interorganizational softball league, that no more than two people from any one work section could play together on the same softball team.  Why not model yourself after success and encourage people to cross pollinate ideas?

Fifth, increase your outreach.  Invite someone you have not spent time with lately, or someone you interact with the least to lunch.  Arrange to meet some of the folks you work with for coffee before work.  Make time to go together with some of the folks you refer to, or those that refer to you. Make it a point to call three people you have not seen in some time, just to say "Hi' and find out what they are up to.  Better yet, stop in to their room, office, or business just to say "Hello!" Respect their time, but value the relationship. When you show interest in others, others begin to show interest in you.  Isolation is a progressive behavior that we need to offset intentionally.

Sixth, begin engaging in active team building exercises in each of your meetings.  They provide the learning experience in interpersonal communication and interaction that so many people are lacking today.  Exploring interests, build trust, and improving interpersonal communication skills are a few of the missing elements to improve and offset the elements previously described.  Often this is done in the beginning of a project, or when students first come to school.  But we often fail to recognize that groups go through a variety of changes in their dynamics, so we need to manage these changes by working on the way we work, and not just the work we do.  The results you achieve will be well worth it.

Over reliance on electronic communication is becoming one of the greatest impediments in business and organizations today; even as I write on my computer screen I find myself feeling disconnected from those of you who will read this.  So if you are inclined, let me know what you think. I always look forward to hearing from you!   

Be well,

John