Communicate With Confidence!®: Booher Banter

Email: Could You Live Without It?

First, it was a silent hour from 9-10 in the mornings where interruptions from colleagues were banned and you could actually get work done without people popping their head in your door.

Then it was casual Fridays, whereby people could come to work comfortably and "get work done" without taking all that extra time to put on heels and hose or shirt and tie.

Now, it's email-free Fridays.  According to some claims, the idea started in England about 6 years ago at Nestle Rowntree when the company announced a Friday email ban.  More recently, several U.S. companies such as Intel and Cushman & Wakefield are following suit in various departments and divisions.  And often, the information-overload problem isn't a result of outsider spam.  The inbox overflow stems from internal emails from colleagues copying each other on everything from "Did you catch the big game this weekend?" to "Any feedback on the XYZ report before I submit it?" to "Would you like to review these minutes on the 3-hour meeting that you just sat through before they become final?"

Even if the answer is no, no, no, the emails still clutter up your inbox for the more important items from customers.

Of course, email has become vital to doing business—particularly if you work with colleagues and clients in other time zones and countries.  But are you letting email become a burden rather than a boon to your work? 

My question:  What do you personally think about email-free Fridays?  Has your organization adopted such an initiative either formally or informally?

Lying by Not Telling All

Here is a smattering of yesterday’s headlines:  “Marie Osmond:  Faint or Fake?”   “Miss Puerto Rico:  Pepper-Sprayed or Publicity Stunt?”   Then there’s the ongoing Drew Peterson saga and attempted suicide of the brother:  Was it the blue-barrel episode that instigated guilt or some other death wish?  Intersperse those headlines with the daily litany of politicians spouting statistics about their congressional voting records, Iraqi war statistics, and dire warnings about economic doomsday.

In social settings, people often exaggerate to make a good strong point or a funny story. In business or politics, lying happens in numerous ways. True—but incomplete—statements can lead to false conclusions; literal truth, when offered without complete explanation, can lead to literal lies.

Doublespeak is that intentional gobbledygook meant to obscure rather than enlighten, convoluted details and irrelevant facts simmered together to make mush for the ear. We all know it when we hear it.

A financial consultant related this situation to me about her firm: “We have two boilerplate formats for our reports to clients. When we go into banks and find several ways we can help them, we use the first format. That report gives our findings and list of recommendations right up front. But if we go into banks and can’t find much wrong—we don’t have many recommendations for improvements and have charged them a big fee for the audit—then we use the second boilerplate. We begin the report with background on our company, the credentials of our auditors, the various audit procedures used, and then we finally get around to the findings and recommendations.” She ended with, “But I don’t think we fool anybody.”

She’s right.  Purposeful gobbledygook only brings into question one’s intentions.

Is it any wonder we’re such a skeptical population?

Is Your Thanksgiving Holiday Filled with Family and Fun—or Email?

Want to test yourself for email addiction?  See how many times you check your email during the Thanksgiving holiday—for business as well as personal.  Like Pavlov’s dogs, you may catch yourself clicking open an email every time you hear the “ding” of your email “in-box.”

That “ding” and the related chore devours about 2 hours of every professional’s work day, totaling 28 billion hours a year, at a cost of $650 billion, according to the New York-based Basex, Inc, a research firm.

In fact, Bill Hendrick, reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, did an excellent job of collecting such research and capturing the love-hate relationship white-collar workers express about their email and the associated productivity issues it raises.  He quoted me in the article about the biggest challenge most of us face:  “There’s always one more to delete, and we let e-email dictate our day.” Click here to read the full article.

Email started as an AID to communication—a way to help us get our job done faster.   Today, for many, it has become their work plan for the day.  They click, read, respond.  Then they schedule priority work in the available time remaining. Wrong move.  Unproductive day.

So come on, take the test this Thanksgiving:   Is email an aid or an addiction?

Tangled Up In “Nots”?

“We’ll never finish the job on time—especially with the limited resources we’ve been given.”  “How come our department always gets all the ‘special’ projects”?  “The new associate is nothing like the person she replaced.  What was management thinking?”  Negative words reflecting negative attitudes from negative people.   

We’ve all worked with employees who slumped around the office with what seemed to be a dark cloud hovering over them.  Wherever they went, problems, miscommunications, and extra work followed.  Nothing was ever good enough, fast enough, or complete enough. 

Medical studies and common sense tell us that people tied up in “nots” get tied up in knots, experiencing more physical, emotional, and situational complications than those with a more positive approach.  They seem to get less work done and generally have a counterproductive effect on those around them.

Reconsider the opening comments, this time with a positive twist.  “Even though we don’t have all the resources we need, wouldn’t it be great if we could finish the job on time?”  “Every time our department gets ‘special’ opportunities, we have a chance to “perform miracles” and impress the muckety-mucks.”  “The new associate seems to have different assets and experiences than we’re used to.  We can learn a fresh, outsider perspective.”  Different words and different attitudes get different results.

Being positive doesn’t mean hopping through the office being Sam or Suzy Sunshine, oblivious to all the difficulties and challenges of the work environment.  But it does mean looking at situations and seeing the promise rather than the peril.

Focus on communicating positively.  You’ll get more and better work done.  And the people around you will be happy when you enter the room, not rush to find the exit.

Why the Positive Response to Oprah’s Response? Puff Job or Proper?

Did Oprah get off too lightly?  Did her vast popularity as a talk-show host overshadow wrong-doing in the recent sexual abuse scandal in her Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls?

I think not.  Oprah deserves all the kudos received so far in handling the communication about the situation.  If she’d taken any missteps, you can bet your TV the media would have been on her trail relentlessly, just like they always are—dogging her for admission of personal guilt.  Instead, they are pretty much exonerating her and leaving her alone to handle the situation—as she seems to be doing very capably.

CEOs and other celebrities caught up in a crisis, take note.

How did she accomplish this feat with kudos rather than scars?  By applying these four key principles of effective personal and organizational communication:  It’s the same 4Cs you’ve read previously:

—Be Correct:   She told the truth—straight, unvarnished, without spin.  Although she didn’t do the hiring personally, she did not hide behind the all-too-familiar “I was not aware that blah, blah, blah....”  She admitted that the screening process was inadequate, the background checks were insufficient, and “the buck always stops with me.”   Speaking to the parents, she accepted responsibility as well:  “I’ve disappointed you.  I’m so sorry.  I’m so sorry.”

—Be Complete:   She gave all the appropriate details in her press conference—her personal reaction when told of the news:  “I spent about a half hour crying, moving from room to room in my house.... It was “one of the most devastating experiences of my life.”   She talked of other complaints the academy had received.  She mentioned systems that didn’t work well or that hadn’t been put in place at all.  She detailed the actions they’d taken to “clean house.”  She reiterated conversations she’d had with parents at the school.

—Be Current:   That is, be responsive in a crisis.  Don’t hide.  She took action to solve the problem.  Within half an hour of learning of the situation, she said, she was making calls to correct the problem.  Although she did not go public about the behind-the-scenes action because investigators had asked her to remain quiet until they made the arrests, she nevertheless made several trips to South Africa to speak to parents and the students.

—Be Concerned:   Her words, her tone, and her actions have demonstrated a deep concern over the situation.  Sending cell phones with her personal phone number, email, and home address to 152 girls?   Anybody doubt sincerity here?  I’ve visited South Africa myself—they’re a friendly, talkative culture.

Samuel, the chief executive at the Academy, has been quoted in the media as having stated that there was a sense of relief at the school and things were beginning to return to normal.    Ditto for Oprah.   My prediction:   She will be unscathed by this scandal—not because the matter is not a serious one and not because the world won’t hear of it, but because Oprah communicates with candor, compassion, and credibility.

The Power and Payoff of "Thanks"—And the Puzzle of Its Absence

The CEO of the PR firm gushed when I called to say that I'd decided to accept their proposal, "I'm thrilled to be working with you again! I can hardly wait to get started on the project.  We're a perfect match."

Okay, so now we're six months down the road. The project is over. The project manager sent the final report by email about 6 weeks ago, and I'm waiting for ... well, I guess, I expected the CEO to call, email, or send up a hot-air balloon or something to say, "Muchas gracias. Adiós, hasta luego." "Grazie. Ciao." Or "Merci. Au revoir."

I was beginning to think maybe we are the only firm on the planet that still tells our customers "thanks"—until three such notes arrived this week:

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Dianna,

Thank you for the opportunity to edit your important preview tape this past month.  As I told Glen, I know it was a leap of faith to use a new vendor.  I appreciate it.

Additionally, I'd like to ask you to consider using my services for any videotaping needs you might have.  I have considerable experience and use some of the best 3-chip-cameras going. I project-manage, direct, shoot, edit, produce, and web-develop for my clients. I'd love to have a chance to show you what I can do—at a price that's agreeable and a quality level that's exceptional.

Thanks again!

Kurt
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Thank you, Dianna.  I absolutely learned a lot from you today and I know as I am onstage, I will be aspiring to be as polished, engaging and professional as you!

I am very happy with the content and the flow!

Thanks again to you and, by the way, your staff is amazing.

Cora
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Thanks, Dianna, for your time in giving feedback on my website. That was exactly the kind of input I needed.

Jim
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These notes are brief, specific, sincere. All the things a great thank-you note should be.  Not only are they day brighteners for the recipient, they can pay off for the writer.  They often lead to more opportunities and referrals—as in the case with Kurt's note. At the very least, they leave a great relationship intact.

Going on week SIX now, I'm still waiting for the CEO to notice that our PR project has concluded and to gush her appreciation for the business. Want to place bets on whether they'll handle our next $50,000 PR project?