If the same message is delivered via email, voicemail or
face to face, which one is the most impactful?
How is the message perceived differently depending on the delivery
method? For my EDUC course on Project
Management in Education and Training, I compared three forms of communication,
the context was exactly the same in these three modalities. In email, I sensed a tone of desperation from
the author. It came across as very
pleasant, but I felt the sense of importance. - The voicemail audio file came
across less desperate and friendlier, and the F2F video was very friendly,
apologetic even, and although the words were the same, the communicator’s body
language did not convey a sense of urgency.
I think that seeing the written words allowed me to focus on
the content itself. My perception when hearing
the friendly tone in the voicemail made things seem less urgent and seeing the
person’s casual demeanor in person, even less desperate, but I must admit it is
hard to put off or ignore someone standing right in front of you. Everyone feels more accountable to the in
person requester simply because they looked you in the eye. However,
email is a form of documentation which in itself should make people feel
accountable because it is time and date stamped and a record of exactly what
was asked.
While all three communications relayed the true meaning and
intent, for me personally in this communication, the email was the
clearest. I didn’t get caught up in the
apologetic nature – just when can you send the data and/or can you just send
the data? I think all of them would make
me act pretty quickly, but the email was the most insistent to me. It may be because I deal with email
communications so frequently. Perhaps it
has to do with the culture in which I work, (Laureate Video 3) for email is a
very common form of communication there and it is the expectation and standard
that one respond promptly to an email.
To communicate effectively with members of a project team, I
think the project manager needs to be able to individualize and “tailor
communications to individual stakeholders” (Laureate Video #2) “Communications
are never one size fits all” (Laureate Video #3) Everyone responds differently
to different types of communication and depending on the culture, one form may
be seen as more appropriate or urgent than another. Sometimes
email is the best course of action,
and sometimes it is not. It depends on
the receiver, the message, the culture and even the timing.
References:
Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Practitioner voices:
Strategies for working with stakeholders [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://class.waldenu.edu
Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Project management
concerns: Communication strategies and organizational culture [Video file].
Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
Hi Karen,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. You and I are in agreement. I really thought after typing my opinion of the three forms of communication that I may be the only one that felt the email came across with the clearest message. I, too, felt it had a sense of urgency and that I would be sure to get to it right away. This is not how I would normally feel about emails, though. Before viewing the resources this week I would have thought for sure that I would be choosing the face-to-face communication as the one way to communicate over all others. I agree with you about the "time stamp and date" on an email. This is important and that is why I feel it is important to email after every important verbal conversation with a co-worker or client. This is something that I have learned from experience working in sales, and now it is important as I work with parents to assure we are on the same page (and our meeting notes are documented).
I like your positive spin on the speakers demeanor when you stated she was "casual and friendly." Now I feel bad for thinking she seemed bored with what she was saying. I did not feel like she was rushing at all when she was face-to-face, but that is a good thing that she does not rush around the office anxiously. Do you feel you would have made a different selection from the three types of commutation if the speaker could have created a sense of urgency when she spoke and was face-to-face?
Jenny
Resources
"The Art of Effective Communication" Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
Hi Jen! thanks for commenting. Our thinking on this exercise is so similiar. I also thought I would have leaned towards the face to face communication, and I was also sort of surprised that I felt the email was so clear. I couldn't quite put my finger on what the speakers demeanor was, but now that you mention boredom, I agree! She just did not exude any sense of importance. Had she come across with more of a sense of urgency in her facial expressions, tone and attitude, I would have probably stopped what I was doing and taken care of it right then and there. That's a great question, and it makes me think that if something is important, we need to convey that in our dealings and not just assume that face to face contact automatically does that for us.
ReplyDeleteKaren,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. I can understand from your work culture why the email would seem the most insistent. To me it was the voice mail. I also felt this communicated the message the best in terms of empathy and urgency. However, they were all ambiguous in what and when, which is one of the rules of communication you should not break (Laureate, n.d.). Jane did not specifically state the information she needed, nor when she had to have it by. Does Mark know what report she is referring to? He may be in the process of preparing more than one. Does he know the specific information Jane needs for her deadline? Is her deadline today, tomorrow, next week?
I agree with your comments that you have to “tailor communications to individual stakeholders” (Laureate, n.d.). It is important to appeal to the different styles and personalities of the individuals we are communicating with. Each of these communications may have worked for three different stakeholders as “communications are never one size fits all (Laureate, n.d.). To make communications effective they must be concise and clear and the communication from Jane to Mark was neither concise nor clear (Laureate, n.d.).
References
Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Communicating with stakeholders [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Practitioner voices: Strategies for working with stakeholders [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Project management concerns: Communication strategies and organizational culture [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu