Mastering Workplace Communication: A New Approach
We believe that you drive results through accountability by investing in the right people, at the right times.
Identifying Key Relationships in the Workplace
Who are the 5 to 7 most important people in your work life? Who are the people who have the most impact on you in your career? These may not be the people who you LIKE the most, so ask yourself: Who are the 5 to 7 people that you have to rely on most?
We have been presenting research to our clients globally which proves we are busier now than humans have ever been in the history of the workplace. There is an increase in emails, meetings, and other demands on our time; you, like most of us, are probably feeling the effects of how busy we have become. When we feel this way, we are often looking for ways to be more efficient and do things faster in an effort to “get it all done.”
Prioritizing Face-to-Face Interactions for Stronger Bonds
At Dynamic Results, we think you cannot get it all done and that you have to learn to prioritize differently, choosing those things that are truly most important. We think you have to focus on relationships. We find that they can be the first things to get put on the back burner when we are very busy. That is something we cannot afford to do, particularly with the people who are most important to us.
Everyone wants more accountability in their workplace, and not everyone invests in the right relationships to make accountability real.
The Impact of Busy Work Schedules on Communication
Here is what we mean. With our relationships, we try to communicate primarily through email. We know it is a very fast way to communicate, but, is it the BEST way? We think it might not be. The better you become at getting reflection on the front end of project planning, the better results you will see during the course of the project.
The Hierarchy of Effective Communication Methods
When we get busy, we chose email or text as the fastest way to communicate, and if we have to, we pick up the phone. If we REALLY have to, we might video conference to speak with someone so we can get some sense of inflection and body language. As a last resort, we will carve out time to see them in person. We recommend reversing the polarity of these communications with the people who matter most to you.
Building Accountability Through Personal Connections
- See Them in Person
- Video Conference
- Phone
- Email/Text
We think you cannot easily build relationships with email and text, but you can easily damage them. When you communicate via email and text, your message is received by the person reading it through the filter of how they are feeling when they receive it, NOT by how you were feeling when you sent it. You take a big risk when sending important information.
In our best-selling book, “Winning With Accountability, the Secret Language of High Performing Organizations”, we offer frameworks for building accountability in the workplace and more about getting reflection and clearly communicating with your teams.
We suggest you take a few moments and write down the names of the 5 to 7 people who are most important to you and begin to reverse the polarity of your communications with those people.
As always, we appreciate your attention, and for additional ideas, follow me on twitter: @HenryJEvans
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Read More About Emotional Safety® in the Workplace and how you can create a culture of trust and open communication.
