BecomingEffectiveCommunicators

No matter what our jobs are, we need to communicate effectively with varied audiences. I find that many people use Powerpoint as a crutch, which is why we don't use it at AYE. Too often the tool obfuscates our message.

What issues do you have around becoming an effective communicator?

Taking off from a recent SHAPE discussion, how do your preferences play out at work? Do you like talking to people, or would you rather email? Does that change how effective you are at communicating?
How hard do you work to craft your writing? If people find your writing hard to read is that ok? If they find your writing too easy to read, is that ok? What tricks do you use to bring coherence to your writing?
Do you attempt to craft your speaking? I've been working on my speaking skills since I realized that I liked public speaking and that the more presentations I gave, the more successful I would be. I'm finding that sometimes my audience is suspicious of my speaking ability. "If JR is that coherent, maybe she doesn't understand the topic." Not the conclusion I would draw :-)
Sometimes on the wiki, I get so excited about the topic, I screw up the StarDate, and leave this space-time continuum. (I don't recommend this.) This does not make me more effective in my wiki communications :-) Now, I double-check the date. Do you have other little checklist items you use to remind yourself of your common mistakes with certain kinds of communications?

In addition to discussing WhyWeDoNotUsePowerPoint, let's discuss how to become more effective at communication.

JohannaRothman 2003.05.12

Do you attempt to craft your speaking? ...I'm finding that sometimes my audience is suspicious of my speaking ability.

Johanna, I heard similar comments about my speaking when I did a lot of it during a previous part of my career. Now just thinking about the comment puts a smile of my face.

I wanted every single member of the audience to like both me and my material. If one person didn't seem to like either me or the material then I did something wrong. Negative feedback from any member of an audience of 100 would put me in a funk -- no matter if it was just a single person. I now see that my reaction was ridiculous.

So, going back to your theme of communicating effectively, I believe that processing feedback is a crucial element in communication. If negative feedback blocks access to ideas, then you becomes a less effective communicator. If positive feedback turns you into a babbling brook, than it's a problem too.

Hmmm, I'll add an article to my blog on this topic.

SteveSmith 2003.05.12

...how do your preferences play out at work?

As an introvert, I like to think what I take in. When extraverts get rolling, I find myself waiting for pauses (Rare!!!) and frustrated. If I manage to figure out that it's just extraverts feeling a need to "fill in the spaces", I either get more assertive about my needs or zone out on overflow.

I'm finding that sometimes my audience is suspicious of my speaking ability.

As above, I want periodic pauses for my processing to catch up. We introverts need the spaces between the paragraphs. If your audience is zoning, try leaving more spaces to think.

So far, no one's said they were zoning; instead they said I was "too polished." When I asked what "too polished" meant, they said that since I didn't trip over my feet or my words, I wasn't telling the truth.!! -- JR

My 2 cents. - BobLee 2003.05.12

Do you like talking to people, or would you rather email? Does that change how effective you are at communicating?

I would rather talk to people, but I am an introvert (just barely over the line), and I am fairly easily overwhelmed by strong extraverts. At work, when I need to be able to give a complete explanation without interruption and then discuss it, I recently tried sending an e-mail with the suggestion that we talk after the recipient reads it. I have done this several times now and I am finding it very effective.

SherryHeinze 2003.05.12

I find that as a strong extravert, I have to be careful about not overwhelming other people (whether they are introverts or extraverts) with my thoughts through my spoken voice.

Frequently when I facilitate, I write myself a note that says "How much are you listening?" I have to stop talking to collect data :-)

I'm working on several writing projects right now where I'm struggling to make the concepts clear. I use the reading ease as a guideline for me. If the reading ease is less than 60 or the grade level over 10, I don't undertsand the material enough to explain it to others. Do you use tricks like this?

Re the speaking feedback I've received, I wonder why some audience members expect speakers on technical subjects to be less adequate as speakers than speakers on non-technical subjects. (I don't think this is a universal expectation, but I've heard it enough that I'm wondering...) JohannaRothman 2003.05.13

I've been working this year with a highly impulsive & creative kid who has trouble following sequential material. I diagnosed his problem as "waiting to be heard", since he remembers what he speaks, not what he hears. When processing a sequential assignment, he kept getting distracted with interesting, creative thoughts. To cope with the impulsiveness I suggested he keep sticky notes handy so he could jot down those interesting ideas and not fear losing them. He can stick them where he'll see them when he comes up for air.

Now, for the first time, he's been able to process reading without fear of losing his creative ideas along the way. I suspect a palm organizer could do the same, but the low-tech visibility of sticky notes on a surface reassures him.

-BobLee 2003.05.13

Esther and I just facilitated two AYE-like sessions at Star East. We used flip charts and stickys and markers. At first, our participants wondered why we didn't use a computer to capture information. Esther gave her answer that it seems so permanent to use electronic capture. I gave my answer that the screen creates a barrier to people talking to each other.

The participants were blown away by how effective flip charts could be, especially when you have a few questions to focus your efforts. We'll be writing up our experiences with the sessions.

I took away these major learnings from this event:

Learning facilitation skills made me (and continues to make me) a better communicator in meetings, when I speak, when I write, in one-on-ones, in all kinds of places.
When I have a parking lot for my ideas (such as Bob's sticky notes for the bright kid above), I'm less likely to need to shout them out as they occur to me.
I use Dani's technique of closing my eyes when I know I need to not talk and I can't stop myself. (Dani taught me that closing my eyes would make it possible for me to listen and much more difficult to talk.)
Flip charts may be a close second to sticky notes as the most underutilized tool in organizations.

-- JohannaRothman 2003.05.16

Johanna and Esther, Good job!

Flip charts may be a close second to sticky notes as the most underutilized tool in organizations.

I agree 100%.

Marshall McLuhan said that we tend to rediscover old technologies after a technology transition.

FWIW, Although they are expensive, the 3M Post-It Flip charts are a facilitator's dream. They do have one problem though -- small 3M post-it notes don't stick well to them. I've discovered that small post-it notes from other manufacturers do stick.

SteveSmith 2003.05.16

Another type of flip chart I've used in my current job are plastic sheets that cling to the walls. I write on them with the same markers that I use on white boards. I can erase them and write again. They are also really easy to fold up or roll up, carry to another room, and stick to other walls.

I recently visited another office building where they had covered the walls of a large conference room with some cling sheets that were "thick" - maybe the thickness of ten sheets of paper. These sheets transformed a regular room into one where you could write on the walls from floor to ceiling. When the working sessions were done, you could pull the sheets off the walls, return the conference room to its normal state, and go transform another room. It was much cheaper than installing floor to ceiling white boards.

DwaynePhillips 17 May 2003

I tried using white butcher paper (in 300' rolls from a school supply store). We stuck multiple rows to a wall with masking tape to make a 5'x30' planning "timeline". It held post-its O.K., but some heavy markers bled through.

DaveSmith 2003.05.17

I have also always thought Flip Charts were wonderful tools... but recently, I have found them less effective, and I wonder about this.

It seems when people first start using flip charts, or use them with folks they don't know, they pay attention to what is being written. These days, I see groups that completely ignore the flip charts and the writer. It could be more that they also seem to pay less attention to meeting minutes... but perhaps the tool also becomes a bit "stale" after a while??

DianeGibson 05-17-03

Updated: Saturday, May 17, 2003