What Do We Mean By ‘Communication’?

Upon a simple Google search of the term ‘Communication’ i found a barrage of articles about this topic. Communication is a fundamental part of any business. We spend our whole lives wrapped around modern technology making it easier to communicate, yet we seem to still find it difficult to keep track of our conversations, progress, tasks and deadlines.

Why Is This?

Most conversations sort of drift along; in business, this is wasteful; as a manager, i seek effective communication rather than general chit chat. To ensure an efficient and effective conversation, there are three considerations:

• you must make your message understood
• you must receive/understand the intended message sent to you
• you should exert some control over the flow of the communication

I find that i spend most of my days in and out of meetings, with clients or with team members, i am hopping from meeting to meeting without any clarity or substance.

In any organization, “meetings” are a vital part of the organization of work and the flow of information. They act as a mechanism for gathering together resources from many sources and pooling then towards a common objective. They are disliked and mocked because they are usually futile, boring, time-wasting, dull, and inconvenient with nothing for most people to do except doodle while some opinionated has-been extols the virtues of his/her last great (misunderstood) idea.

Break The Mould

Your challenge is to break this mould and to make your meetings effective. As with every other managed activity, meetings should be planned beforehand, monitored during for effectiveness, and reviewed afterward for improving their management.

“A meeting is the ultimate form of managed conversation; as a manager, you can organize the information and structure of the meeting to support the effective communication of the participants.”

I love the quote above. “A meeting is the ultimate form of managed conversation.”
Such a powerful statement. So why do i chose to place myself in meeting after meeting, than just sit at home handling emails and organizing my schedule and tasks via my personal computer?

Other than getting me out the house and forcing me to jump into my Superman phonebooth to become the business warrior i am; nothing achieves a higher and more definitive rate of productivity than a face to face meeting with your team.

• It allows you and your team to express opinions, problems and queries and clear them up without having to wait for your mail to refresh.
• You can explain in depth your theories, practices, strategies and plans.
• Most importantly it allows you to take time and understand each other, creating valuable group cohesion and work bonded relationships.

Take Action

While you may spend a lot of time organising meetings and attending meetings, it is ultimately down to you what you achieve from these meetings.