The emergence of the information age has made all of us writers. We cannot think of any form of communication that works without putting words together on paper or a word processor. It is ironic that the development of modern technology has actually returned us to one of the most traditional forms of communication. The way you write reflects your personality and the kind of individual you are.
Writing skills are essential at all levels in organizations. Most commonly used are e-mails, where everyday communication with peers, customers, and vendors are likely to come under scrutiny. And then there is the informal communication through instant messaging. Although it is not recognized as an official medium, words stated on instant messaging can always be used in more formal and official mediums. Documentation has become an essential part of professional life. Whatever your role, you are likely to be expected to prepare documents on a range of issues. A person who is adept at writing in any context will be looked upon favorably, but most importantly, it will help them perform their job effectively and easily. What are some of the objectives that written communication tries to accomplish in offices? If we start answering this question, how we do what we do can be decoded with ease. Here are a few universal pointers that you will learn in this chapter:
- Keep your writing succinct and to the point
- Follow the appropriate etiquette (such as e-mail etiquette) for all forms of communication
- Remember that most written forms of communication are admissible in court
- Written communication must reflect the values of the company
- Review the communication for subject matter, clarity, grammar, and spelling before you publish it
- Avoid displaying affection with peers or customers on official channels
E-mails, instant messaging, marketing material, blogs, documents, process maps, signs, and reports are various written mediums for communicating information. They convey one or more of the four forms of written communication that is used in the IT field on a day-to-day basis. Each form has its place, and every form is framed in such a way that it will communicate the required information and in the tone that the communication form demands.
While you discuss the individual forms of communication, to relate directly to the work performed in your organization, you can cite communication examples that fall under different forms.
In action-focused communication, the content is aimed at getting things done. The style is direct and the emphasis is on producing results. This form of communication must be used in an active voice to emphasize the actions to be performed, and the energy that propels this forward. Along with actions, it can be laced with a motivational style to produce the desired results.
An e-mail instructing the team to do certain activities is a good example of action-focused communication. Minutes of meetings (MoM) where actions are recorded and attributed to the responsible parties fits into this category very well. The medium can be e-mails, minutes, instant messaging, or visual posters, while the form should be instructive in nature and aim at keeping things in motion towards the target.
When you frame an action-focused communication, always keep in mind the following:
- In this form of communication, you have an objective to achieve, and the communication must sound like instructions in carrying out the objectives.
- It must be like a to-do list. Do this, do that. Don't do this and don't do that.
- Use everyday simple language and do not embellish the communication with fancy words.
- Every action-focused communication must have a designated owner and a target completion date set in the future.
- The target completion date cannot be something like ASAP or when a customer provides information.
Here's an example:
|
Action description |
Responsibility |
Deadline |
|---|---|---|
|
Clean up active directory users to remove duplicate and dummy users |
John Doe (use names and not roles) |
Sep 25, 13 |
|
Test redundant switch's configuration and the auto failover mechanism |
Jane Doe |
Oct 30, 13 |
In the preceding example, the two action-focused communication samples are telling John and Jane Doe on the activities to complete and timeline as well.
When you try to influence a person or an organization towards a particular direction or decision, this form of written communication is classified under influential communication. Your focus is to convince, and to justify the actions that are to be taken. You need to appeal to your interlocutor in a way that gets them on your side. You can do this through the content of your communication, which should effectively offer them something, such as a specific reason to act in a certain way or do a specific task. However, you can also do this through this in the way it is delivered, addressing the other person or, indeed, group of people in a way that moves the reader in doing what is intended—not primarily by the power of your authority but through the supporting and justifications that you provide. Influential communication is used at all layers of the organization. A typical example could be an employee writing to his manager requesting for a change in role. He lists down the benefits that the organization would reap from moving him to the targeted role.
A business development manager creates proposals for new business opportunities. His intent is to show the value proposition to the customer by highlighting the value that the customer gets out of the business relationship and the various add-ons that come with the service. He might put in a few more angles of justification through cost-benefit analysis, case studies of what has been done earlier, and profiles of people running the organization, among others.
To write to influence, use the following tips and you should be in a better position to get things done in your preferred way:
- Identify what you would like to achieve through this communication. Be precise and clear not simply about what you want done, but, more importantly, why you want it done and what the benefits will be.
- If you want to influence someone, they need to understand what the benefits of listening to you will be. Use a conversational tone as the personal nature of the communication influences the reader to act in your favor; again, this is about appealing to the person or people you are communicating with.
- You need them to view you as working in everyone's interests. However, you must also keep in mind that you need to also communicate some sense of authority—you should, however, be able to achieve this through the first bullet point.
- Remember that the world does not run on charity, but purely on financials (especially in the business world!). So, a win-win situation should be presented to the reader. Through this communication, tell the reader what they would get by acting out your wishes, and how it would be beneficial—for them, the team, or the organization.
In the following example, I have applied the tips that I have shared with you. As you can read in the example, the soft skill coach has an objective he wants to achieve, and he is aiming for it by convincing the learning and development manager that he is right man for the job. This type of communication is a big field of study by itself. People have different ways of influencing other people. Imagination and creativity is key in exceling in influential communication.
The following example is an e-mail from a soft skill coach to a learning and development manager in an IT organization:
Hello Mr. John Doe,
Thank you for contacting me on my website. I am glad you have gone through the website, the services that I can offer, and my profile as a soft skill coach. I have been coaching corporates and students on soft skills for the past 22 years and I have penned several books pertaining to the topics I coach.
(Note here how the writer establishes themselves as a figure of authority, as if to underline to the reader that they are worth listening to.)
From your e-mail, I understand that you are looking to reduce the conflicts between team members of the IT department and with other employees in the organization.
(Here the writer is acknowledging "John Doe's" problem—the writer's words here act in a way that says "I understand your problem".)
I want to assure you that you have sought the perfect person to mitigate the issue that you are facing in your organization. From the limited information you have provided, it seems to be that the conflicts are due to lack of understanding and effective communication.
(Again, you can see that the writer is establishing themselves as an authority, someone to be trusted.)
This is common in most organizations. I have designed training and workshop sessions to address these issues in organizations. After going through the sessions, organizations are reaping benefits of improved communication, increased productivity, and reduced tautness. I can provide you with references along with the financial information in my next communication.
Do let me know if you want to take our discussion forward and forge a new business relationship.
(The writer closes here in a way that is both amicable and personable while also being all about business; this demonstrates professionalism and suggests mutual benefits, while also presenting yourself as someone that the reader will want to work with on a personal level.)
Thanks,
John Smith
Trainer and Coach
We have looked at two forms of communication in action-focused and influential communications that toe the positive line. The opposing one—negative communication—plays its part in the world of communication as well. This form of communication passes on information that will not bring cheer to the recipient. This style must not beat around the bush or give the history and geography of the subject before coming to the crux of the matter. It must be as direct as possible and aimed at closing the communication channel as soon as possible. But, it must contain essences of empathy to alleviate the pain that this form of communication is known to transfer.
Negative communication is used by all employees in an organization and at all levels of the business. A warning letter shot out to erring employees or a companywide layoff to unfortunate employees are some examples at a people management level. In the business world, termination of a contract or penalty imposed communication are some popular examples.
When you are writing negative communication, keep the following principles in mind:
- Don't beat around the bush. Be straightforward and put it out as plainly as you can.
- Justify the reasons why you are sending out the negative type of written communication.
- What next? Just sending out a negative message is not enough. You need to tell the recipient what the result of this communication is, whether it's a warning as per the following example, or loss of contract, and so on.
The following example is a warning e-mail sent by the human resources manager to an erring employee:
Hi Jane Doe,
It has come to our notice that you are smoking on the office premises although we have put up signs clearly indicating that smoking is prohibited within the campus. Your act has brought disrepute to our organization and will potentially attract penalties from the government.
We would like to warn you that a similar offence hereafter will be dealt with severely. Treat this letter as the last and final warning.
Let me know if you have any further questions regarding the content of this letter.
Thanks,
John Doe
HR Manager
The last type of communication that is widely used is informational communication. As the name suggests, this type of communication conveys information—nothing more, nothing less. This type of communication works best if it is succinct and clear. Abstractness and dramatics are to be avoided in this type of communication. Also, it is important that the information communicator preempts all possible questions from the recipients and answers the questions in it.
Information communication is used across all layers of the organization. Some examples include a frequently asked questions section, a memo about organizational changes, and status updates from vendors and peers.
When drafting this type of communication, keep the following tips in mind:
- Do not use a personalized message as you do in influential communication. It is written for the third party and must be far from all emotions. It must exactly read like a news report, which aims at providing unbiased information.
- Information must be as terse as possible. Once again, complicated words do not convey information effectively and can confuse the meaning of it.
- Do not be abstract. The message must be straightforward.
Action Point
Exercise (for readers to attempt at the end of this topic followed by a group discussion):
- Create a list of action points from your project, against the timelines and the person responsible for performing the activity. Discuss action points with the class to see if they adhere to the rules of action-focused communication.
- Write an e-mail to your manager asking for a pay rise with credible justifications.
- List down various circumstances in your organization when negative communication has been used. Compare the nature with the pointers provided in this chapter.
- According to you, what is the best channel to communicate information to employees—from your manager and from the higher management? State reasons for the chosen communication channel.