Learning About Interesting Bussiness Communications
Communication lies at the heart of any business. In fact I would even go so far as to say that without communication there can be no business. As a draughtsman I quickly had to learn that you must assume the person who was looking at your drawing knew nothing. Believe me if it is possible to misunderstand something then people will.
You should never write as though you were having a conversation. When you have a conversation it usually means that part of the message is assumed. I’ve often read in books about writing that you should think of yourself having a conversation. Writing is a tool of communication; it is not simply a way of conveying a conversation.
A little while ago I was involved in a project where we had to redevelop part of a web site. I had assumed from the beginning that we were working on one part of the site (the part I thought needed the most work) but the person employing me thought it was another part of the site. This continued for about two weeks. This is not an uncommon problem in business.
The real trick is to write in such a way that you communicate your message without overdoing the detail. There is nothing more annoying than having to read a simple message with a lot of other words in the way. Many entrepreneurs and leaders will admit that some information needs to be available on a need to know basis to prevent that information from slipping into the hands of the media, competition or enemy. Of course, on the flip side is the dirty word of secrets and many folks who are not privy to secrets feel disrespected because they are not trusted and therefore, do not give their 100% at work.
Is it true that not everyone can be trusted with information? Many people would agree, some would go so far as to say that humans cannot be trusted with information, but why? For instance, many folks have a lot of knowledge, experience, observations, insight and original thoughts.
But, like water it does flow, information, like living organisms want to be free. Sometimes, even the folks who have the information do not even trust themselves with the information they have because it’s too easy to make a mistake. Communication is about the transfer of information, and it is important for all companies, and organizations to do communication audits to insure the right information is being passed on.
There is little doubt that the business world locally, nationally and globally has been forever changed by the information age. Today, the world is closer together than ever before and an economic crisis in any one country has far-reaching effects elsewhere around the world. But, what will these new technologies be that increase business communications speed of transmission and bandwidth be like? Well, there will be light-speed communication around the globe using satellites and what we might perceive as infinite bandwidth.
Soon, we will have super small devices that operate by voice and eventually by thought. The storage capacity will be better than the library of congress even for a device the size of a mini-cell phone. Well, think about it for a second, you can collaborate on designs. You will be able to see a miniature of whoever you are talking too, watch the body language and get a much better feel for the conversation.
Tags: business communication
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