Hello? Is Anybody Listening?

Communications happens on a consistent basis throughout much of our waking hours. For as 'natural' as communicating can be, why is it that in when communicating should be happening the most, we seem to stall in the middle of the road?

Especially in the world of business, every type of communication has an outcome within the work environment. Whether it is done as part of the normal work day or is enveloped into a small to large project, poor communications can impact the success of a project, as well as the parties involved.

Proper, solid communication is the foundation of any good business. How a company communicates with other companies, customers and their staff will have a direct impact on the successes or failures. In today's world of information technology, pretty much any type of communication can be used and re-used in a variety of ways.

A few different ways of purporting good business communication are:

• Establish communication plan(s) as necessary business-wide or project-wide.
  
• Educate employees in communication techniques and protocols.
  
• Use a variety of tools. Putting all your eggs in one basket may leave you with an empty basket.
  
• Would you rather do business with a company that is progressive and flexible or one that has tunnel vision and is outdated?
  

Today, many businesses use the Internet for communicating. Even though electronic communications is considered state-of-the-art communication, it can also be a challenge to make it work positively and effectively because of the lack of body language in the communication. The receiver of the communication can only make interpretations based on the words alone. On the other hand, when written with professionalism, expertise and proper business etiquette, it can be a very successful tool.

Not all communication is written so don't forget body language! Body language works like a 2-way street. Your body language in conveying your information will weigh heavily on the listeners' approval or disapproval of what you are trying to accomplish. In the same respect, watch your audience as your speak. Are they alert and responsive to what you are saying? Are they yawning and rolling their eyes, playing with their pen or drawing pictures on a piece of paper? Remember to pay attention to yourself as well as your audience.

Business communication will only be as good as Management allows it to be. This can only be done by leading by example. Management needs to provide the communications plan, provide the tools, educate all parties involved and keep in mind that good communication will be only as good as the investment that is made into it on a continuous basis.

Susan Combs, Project Office Manager, Documentation Strategies