Technology doesn't always help communication

Back in the old days, doctors and other professionals made house calls and people would sit on their front porches and talk to others walking along the street. Today, we have cell phones, e-mail, instant messaging, overnight delivery and a multitude of other means of communicating with each other. But have we become any better at communicating?

I must confess, using my own firm as an example, I am not sure we have.

“The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate.”

—Joseph Priestley

We have a small office, and one would think we should be able to communicate rather easily. We have e-mail, instant messaging, phones, an intercom system and task and scheduling software. Worst-case scenario, we ought to be able to yell across the office whatever it is we want to communicate. With all the tools we have to provide for effective communication, we still mess it up. I suspect you would agree with me.

Why do we have such a hard time communicating?

I think it has a lot to do with communication being difficult regardless of the method. Real communication is an intentional action both on the giving and receiving sides. The difficulty in communication has not changed; we just have more options available to attempt to get our message out.

Finding the message

We first have to determine the message that we want to communicate. If we think through the message, this will solve the old problem of talking before we think about what we are saying.

How many times have you been guilty of this and ended up making a situation worse because of it? This step applies regardless of whether you are having a simple conversation with a customer, vendor, or employee or are determining a marketing strategy. Taking time to think about the message before we send it is, I believe, the most important step in communicating.

Understanding available technology

“Today, communication itself is the problem. We have become the world’s first over-communicated society. Each year we send more and receive less.”

—Al Ries

Technology has made it simple to believe we are communicating. I think our huge mistake in this area is to pick a particular technology to communicate based upon what is easy and cost beneficial for us. We do this without regard to the needs and wants of the receiver of communication.

Don’t believe me?

How do you feel every time you call a company and get a voice prompt that says, “In order to better serve you ...”, we are sending you through 14 voice prompts before we allow you to talk to a person?

Or what about all the spam you receive in your e-mail? What do those messages tell you?

My personal opinion is that those types of messages are disrespectful to you.

The other side of the argument is that the technology allows the company to be more effective. That comment makes my point. You cannot communicate unless you have a sender and a receiver of information. Be very careful to choose the most appropriate form of technology to communicate with your customers to achieve your desired response.

Communication pointers

“Every improvement in communication makes the bore more terrible.”

—Frank Moore Colby

When it comes to choosing the best mode of communicating, it’s important to recognize certain aspects of each method.

• E-mail: Remember ALL CAPS is yelling at someone. Someone reading e-mail does not have the benefit of your voice and body language, so the reader may misread your message. E-mail is very impersonal.

• Fax: Nonsecure. If the message is confidential, don’t send it via fax. You won’t know who is walking by the fax machine.

• Instant messaging: Good for quick messages. You really should monitor this as your employees might be spending a large portion of the workday using it for nonwork purposes. Also, instant messaging may pose certain security issues with your network.

• Phone: People can hear your smile. They can also hear your frown or distraction. When you are on the phone, smile and focus on the conversation. This little step will dramatically change the quality of your phone conversations.

When leaving a voice mail, leave your call-back number at the end of the message. It is also good to repeat the number. Prior to leaving a voice mail, compose your message in your head. Make it succinct and to the point.

Determine your message. Think about the most appropriate method of delivery while considering the needs of the receiver. Communicate!

“It seemed rather incongruous that in a society of super sophisticated communication, we often suffer from a shortage of listeners.”

—Erma Bombeck

Ted A. Smith, CPA, is the owner of Ted Smith & Associates PC, a Springfield-based accounting firm.

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