Communications

You have probably heard it stated that communication is an art form. While there is, of course, considerable truth to that statement, it seems to me that communication is also a tremendous practical management tool requiring dedication, skill, and a great deal of work. Most people don't focus on the various aspects of communication and the simple fundamental nature of the complete process, which is so important to successful day-to-day tasks. I have been quoted on many occasions saying communications is the foundation of all successful endeavors. My staff at the association where I worked probably got tired of hearing this, but it is so true and so important. The statement was applicable to any effort.

As I proceed to relay my comments regarding communication, let me start by making an important statement, which is also noted in the "About the Book" section. I am all for technology, and I am a significant user of it. E-mail, which is now considered an antiquated communication tool, was a huge part of my daily efforts in association management, both as a supervisor and working with volunteer leaders, including committee persons and board members at a high level. Social media in its many forms is also important, when used properly. It is a tremendous communications tool. You will also find as you proceed that I make a genuine effort to be very up front and honest, and in that regard, there were always those who considered my use of e-mail, or communications, to be an overuse. While I expect that is a valid observation, given the opinions of most people, I have also found that one can never communicate too much or double-check communications too much.

When I state that communications is the foundation of all successful endeavors, there is a need to analyze those words further. Possibly the most important part of that statement is the word foundation. In other words, at the base, or the foundation, of every successful effort is the need to communicate the purpose of any activity or instruction, as well as the objectives, expected tasks, and expected outcome, and to do it clearly so everyone understands his/her role and assignment.

The burden for that clear communication rests squarely on the shoulders of the individual originating the communication. It is important to recognize that it takes extra work to not only communicate the details for a program (e.g., objectives and assignments), but it also requires extra effort to follow up on the initial communications, which is an important part of the process. It is one thing to communicate all that needs to occur to create a successful effort. The second part of that communication is to follow up with everyone involved, regarding assignments and tasks, and to do so in a manner that not only reminds the individual of the assignment or task but also motivates them and expresses appreciation for the work they are doing. This contributes to an overall successful effort. Communicating in regard to any program or activity is not a one-time effort. It is important to communicate to staff and leaders in an initial fashion with great clarity, but then you must follow up with each individual or group involved with a communication that is customized and specific to that individual or group. Also, your communication should motivate and include appreciation for the efforts being put toward the overall objective.

Far too many people feel that once they have communicated something, they are done. How many times have you heard a supervisor ask a staff member whether he/she communicated information to a leader or another staff member, and the first staff member replied, "Yes, I did"? Far too often that staff member is answering that question because he/she sent an e-mail or other communication to an individual just as the supervisor requested. However, did the staff member get a response acknowledging the communication? Does he/she know the message was received?

The art and process of communication is not only sending a clear and correct communication but also knowing it has been received and following up with reminders to make sure people understand the task and the role that they play. There are several phases to communication. There is the initial communication, which must be clear. Then there is the follow-up within a reasonable amount of time to each individual, with assignments to not only express appreciation for the efforts they are putting forward but to also provide motivation and a reminder about the various tasks and efforts to be accomplished. The third part of the communication process is the follow-up after the event or function, to express appreciation to staff and leaders for having successfully completed their assignments and for doing good work.

Those reading this book may especially enjoy this next comment. I have throughout my career often been — shall we say? — kindly given a hard time about my amount of communication and the detail of my communication. Yet I have never experienced one occasion where the detail, encouragement, and appreciation were not well received and did not make a difference in the attitude of the employee and the program's success. This multiphase approach to communication will eliminate problems, remind staff of tasks they were assigned to do (which they may have previously forgotten), and provide increased self-esteem and confidence to an employee or a leader for personal and professional development.

One of the great challenges facing us today with the use of technology, and all of the advantages it brings forward, is the brevity of communication, which is seen by so many as a huge plus. Yet if we are not careful, that brevity can lack emotion, spirit, and the opportunity to explain detail, which is so important to any successful program or effort in association management or in any corporate setting. It also can possibly lack the opportunity for the communication follow-up that is necessary to express appreciation or to recognize staff or leaders with the right words of appreciation following an event, program, or activity assignment.

After I asked a staff member if he communicated a meeting reminder or program information to another staff member or leader, and he enthusiastically indicated to me he did, it sounded good. Not only did he do this, but he did it immediately following my request. Later I discovered the staff member had sent an e-mail, and thereby he considered the assignment completed. However, this communication assignment was not completed. You have to know for a fact that the communication has been received. Many times I asked a staff member if the communication I asked them to send had been received, and their answer was "I don't know, but I sent it to them, so they must have it." Who knows if the message was actually received? Who knows if the individual for whom the message was intended read the message? Oh, but you say, "That is the responsibility of the individual receiving the message. Surely as the originator of the communication, and as a supervisor, I cannot hold myself or any staff member responsible for whether or not an individual reads his/her e-mail." My answer to that is, "I sure can."

Unless you know a message has been received, whether it is a detailed communication about an agenda for a program or simply a thank-you note that the president of the organization wanted sent to an individual, the communication task is not complete. This is not, as I noted in the "About the Book" section, "rocket science," but it takes extra effort and work. Ask for a message-received response on your e-mail or other electronic communication. If this doesn't work, and you still don't know if the individual or group has received the message, pick up the telephone and call. On occasion when I asked staff to call someone because we were not sure the message was received, much to my surprise, I saw real concern in their eyes. Why should there be concern in somebody's eyes about picking up the telephone and calling someone? Are we so lazy that we don't want to play phone tag or we don't want to converse with someone anymore? The exaggerated point here is that the communication is not complete until it is received and you know with 100 percent certainty that it has been received — and not only received, but understood as well. This process may be easier done with a phone conversation than with an e-mail.

I have learned with complete certainty that no one wants to read a two-page e-mail — point taken. Still, if that amount of detail and information needs to be communicated, then pick up the telephone and call the individual. Let him/her hear the tone of your voice; let him/her ask additional questions. I have seen e-mail messages (as have all of you reading this book) go back and forth all day, when one twenty-minute phone conversation would have accomplished the same thing. Oftentimes, in any communication or discussion, one question can lead to another question, so just talk to each other. Don't get me wrong; there are lots of times when the one- or two-line e-mail message works just fine, but there are also times when discussion is needed.

I just love to send someone a one-paragraph e-mail, or other electronic communication that asks several questions and the reply is, "Got it," "You bet," or "Message received." What does that mean? Did they answer my question(s)? Do I know how they "feel" about what I stated to them? Do they understand what I think is most important in the list of assignments I gave them and what may be able to wait or not be as important? Obviously they cannot understand any of that. There are times when a yes or no answer is absolutely fine, but there are many times when this doesn't work — not if you want to be sure your communication is received and it is going to be handled in a successful manner.

So far we have discussed the various phases of communications, and we also discussed the fact that these phases take work and effort. Throughout my career, and with a smile on my face, I received comments about the amount of thank-you messages I sent to people. I never sent a thank-you message that did not need to be sent, and I don't think I ever sent one that wasn't appreciated. This was excessive, but it is important and is not done enough. Since the time I have retired, I have received many e-mail messages from people indicating they miss those appreciation notes, or notes of encouragement. I note this to indicate it is valuable to send notes when it comes to encouraging people and helping them to feel good about what they are doing during their work. The human spirit needs encouragement and recognition to function.

I remember on many occasions, as a supervisor with about fifty people under my direction and approximately another ninety-five for which I had some supervisory responsibilities, seeing e-mail messages going on for the better part of a day with regard to a singular subject between three of my staff people (all of which were excellent employees), who were all sitting in adjoining offices. After being copied on these messages and listening to my computer beep every two minutes for about two hours, I proceeded to ask all three staff members to accompany me to the conference room, where we sat down and resolved all of the questions everyone had (and fielded many more that naturally came up in due course of the conversation) in about thirty minutes. Is the author of this book against e-mail, electronic communication, or technology? The answer once again is absolutely not. There are times, many times in fact, when technology does not replace a face-to-face conversation, where you can see the eyes of the other individual, hear the tone of their voice and understand, what is most important to them.

There are other aspects of communication, which are not so directly aligned with the assignment of tasks, follow-up, or showing appreciation, which are extremely important as well. Let's briefly discuss office gossip for a moment. This one is very simple to address, and clearly there is only one answer: never participate in office gossip. It will lead you nowhere. It is easier said than done, given the natural curiosity of humans.

There are those that say 50 percent of gossip or a rumor is usually true, but participating in gossip still is not a good idea. Spreading gossip is deadly. What good does it do to run around an office building and be 50 percent right about a subject when you do not know the accuracy of the information? This does not speak well for your reputation. Over my career I talked to many staff members, and to some leaders, about not doing this. Honestly, most often it falls on deaf ears. People have a thirst for knowledge and a desire to be the first one to tell a story or the first one to know what's going on. People have a very determined attitude regarding the fact that knowledge, however inaccurate, is power. The only knowledge that is powerful is accurate knowledge that is handled in a highly professional manner and with respect to the chain of command. Office gossip has been the downfall of more than one excellent employee. If it doesn't concern you, don't worry about it.

I cannot tell you how many conversations I had in my career with a staff member from one department that wanted to know all about what was going on in another department. There is no reason for that staff member to know that information unless it has a direct effect on him/her or that department, depending upon which staff member you are talking to. If you are approached by someone with gossip and you listen to this information, then so be it. Most people, or perhaps all people, are not going to tell a coworker who approaches them with gossip, "I can't listen to you because that's office gossip." This is not human nature, and it's not going to happen. Most people will stand there and listen and at least nod their head. What you do with that gossip or what you don't do with the gossip speaks to your character and to your professionalism as a staff member. There have been many instances whereby office gossip has ruined a career of a promising employee and has caused the association many problems, especially when your supervisor or upper management were making an attempt to manage some information. Simply put, office gossip is a reality of any office and any environment where more than one person is employed, but how you handle it speaks to your character. Does that sound too corporate? Well, it's not. Do the right thing.

Let's move on to another important: keeping the boss informed. This is another pet peeve of mine, and I feel very qualified to speak to this, because I have reported to many people in my career and also been a division head and supervisor with many people reporting to me. Therefore, I know from which I speak. Keep the boss informed. It just makes sense.

I always told my staff that I needed to be informed about anything that effected the department, division, or association. If they had a conversation with a staff member that reported to them, or for that matter with a leader, and that conversation dealt completely with personal information, then I did not need to know it. I have no desire, as previously noted, to engage in gossip or personal information; however, when a staff member or employee withholds information that specifically impacts the organization, this becomes a performance issue. The employee must have faith that the supervisor is going to hold that conversation in a confidential nature between the employee and the supervisor, and if appropriate, the supervisor will not bring the employee further into the situation or cause challenges for the employee who did the right thing and brought the information forward. It is amazing to me the number of employees that are reluctant to handle this situation in this exact manner. By the same token, human nature is one of suspicion and people are often not comfortable reporting information they have heard. Still, there must be an understanding of trust and confidence between the employee and supervisor, and the employee has an obligation to keep the supervisor informed regarding company issues and business. It is also very incumbent upon the supervisor to handle this information correctly and do the right thing on behalf of the employee. Unfortunately, there are a lot of situations where this level of trust just does not exist.

Supervisors should be taught about this, and employees should also receive information about this exchange and obligation. This is necessary communication regarding the best interest of everyone and the organization. Understanding the important dynamics of employee–supervisor communication and trust must be a part of the training for both employees and supervisors. This is an area that is somewhat lacking today.