The same message is being delivered three different
ways-email, voice mail, and face to face.
From each of these three deliveries the recipient will probably feel
differently. Of the three, I felt the
voice mail was the most effective, email in the middle, and the face to face
delivery the least effective.
The voice mail was the most effective to me because it
balances the weak points of the other two.
The email’s sentence structure and lack of specifics created a
heightened sense of anxiety for the recipient and from the sender. One response of the reader on reading the
email could be, “What do you want me to do about it?” or “When do you need it?” The face to face delivery of the message
might be the most direct route, but it also corners the recipient who the
sender is acknowledging may be overwhelmed.
The recipient might feel pressured to give a response that will make the
person happy, but might be unrealistic or just plain avoiding the issue.
The voice mail combines the best parts of the email and the
face to face. It communicates the need
and does a better job of recognizing the stress of the situation. The recipient has time to construct a
response without feeling threatened or overly pressured.
This exercise underscores some important lessons about
communication. When something is in
writing, proper sentence structure and specific information should be included because
the message lacks the emotion and empathy a voice lends. Face to face situations should be saved for
crisis mode or if a good working relationship already exists. Being forced to deal with a situation right
now can lead to unrealistic responses or friction. A final thought is that each of these
examples seems to fall under informal communication rather than formal
communication. Limiting these more
informal types of communication helps make sure that feelings are not hurt or
misunderstandings occur (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, &
Kramer, 2008).
Portny, S. E.,
Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B.
E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling
projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Hello Aaron;
ReplyDeleteIn your blog posting, you said that you feel that the voicemail was the most effective form of communication mode. This is interesting because I find myself not trusting just one form of message delivery. Usually, I will call and if I have to leave a voice mail, then I follow it with an email just in case. Certain people prefer certain modes of communication, so in order to cover my assets, I usually reinforce one with the other, and then, if I do not receive a response within a day, I will call them again, reiterate that I called before on "this day" and sent them an email as well. Then my maternal monster kicks in to "don't make me come in there" mode!! (Just kidding). Nevertheless, I will use the face-to-face mode as the last resort which raises the stakes from an informal to a more formal approach if the former produces no results. According to Adams (2011), "The trick is in getting the right mix of formal and informal communication and in using the right form at the right time and in the right circumstance". I wonder, though, if instant messaging will ever make the grade in as much that it is new technology that has become quite the disruption in communication technology. If it is beneficial for them as individuals, for the team, and for the company, why not make a case for any new technology that you people use?
Allen, L. (2011,March 12). Formal versus informal communication methods.[Web blog. Retrieved from http://hr.toolbox.com/blogs/people-at-work/formal-versus-informal-communication-methods-44897
It's funny that we viewed the forms of communication in a completely different order. I liked email the best, then face-to-face, followed by the voicemail. Email, in my opinion, is the best way to get a message across quickly... including the clarification of information or questions. Face-to-face, while sometimes disruptive, is very effective. Your message ha little room to be misinterpreted. I wouldn't consider it the most efficient because both parties must be available at the same time. I personally loathe voice mails. I can never understand what the person has to say and I usually feel as though I need to listen to the message twice.
ReplyDeleteIf we were working in a group together, I hope you would consider my communication preference to help us to work together better (Laureate Education, 2012).
Laureate Education, Inc. (2012). [Video]. “Practitioner Voices: Strategies for Working with Stakeholders.”
I agree that a well written email is convenient, fast and direct. It's my preferred way of getting little things on track as well. My comments were referring to the particular email we were reviewing. I felt the message should have been constructed in a more direct manner.
ReplyDeleteI agree that different tools need to be used depending on the situation and that people's preference should be taken into consideration.
I see your point of view but I also think that this message could have been communicated with a call and a follow up email. I the person dont respond, then I will defintely walk to them to say it face to face becucase they will see and now how urgent it is , instead of recieving an email or phone call. I think face to face is a much better way of communicating a rush job or situation.
ReplyDelete