The Fallacy of Information-Sharing Vs. Communications

In an office environment, I would walk into the office after a lunch break and poke my colleague about her third cup of coffee and the status of the attendee analytics report of our last event. It’s a no brainer for most of us in the meeting industry that working face-to-face reduces the project turnaround time, while increasing the feedback implementation and interpersonal relations (along with our steps on the pedometer).

Keeping up with the project updates, getting RFPs submitted and contracts renegotiated while preparing a snack for your kid and trying to figure out the meeting password for your next Zoom session can get messy and confusing. Files are sent and received multiple times through email or Slack channels, each one with a variation.

Sound familiar? Would you call this “effective communication” or “sharing information”?

Effective team communication and collaboration has always been a pillar of organizational success. According to data from Queens University of Charlotte, almost 75% of employers consider team communication a “very important” factor. Yet 39% of their employees think their colleagues don’t collaborate enough. One of the reasons is the fallacy that we are mistakenly labelling the act of sharing project updates and deadlines over a video call as “team communication.” This is hurting the professional space and emotional independence of employees.

I spoke with a couple of my peers from the industry to understand their take on the relevance of communication, and this is what I concluded:

1. Defined purpose and communication goals definitely increase productivity, meaningful participation and ideation from employees as far as you are able to strike the right balance of team communication. Over the past couple of months, time spent on communication tools like Slack, Zoom and Microsoft Teams has skyrocketed by more than 60%. While frequent communication, team huddles, meetings and quick pings sound like a great idea for staying on top of your “team communication” game, it is still chewing up the precious time from your employees’ productivity suite. Too much communication is as bad as too little of it. Overcompensating communication is like a sugar rush that superficially gives your project a jumpstart but gradually slows down the team momentum, challenging employees’ emotional intelligence and ability to perform tasks independently.
2. Open door policy in the team communications game helps create balance! A lot of organizations have open communication policies that encourage employees to ask questions and share thoughts. However, employees still feel vulnerable to share these thoughts in an open setting. When employees are able to take their workplace concerns, questions and feedback outside of their immediate hierarchy, it helps reduce miscommunication and potential risks. Instead of waiting for team huddles or weekly meetings, address issues and conflicts immediately.
3. ‘All work, no play makes Jack and Jill dull employees.’ Empowering employees to make their own decisions and be accountable creates room for innovation, increased productivity and employee satisfaction. Allow employees to choose which meeting is productive for them to join and which isn’t. It is easy to feel compelled to be “available” at all times, especially in a virtual work environment. A study by HBR suggests that companies can improve communication outcomes through informal breaks and chats. It also reveals how social and informal time allowed among family and colleagues help increase positive communication by more than 50%.
4. Social networking … not social media. To follow up on the above point, social networking among employees (No, we don’t mean following their social media life.), understanding their family life and allowing them space for work-life balance helps increase employee loyalty and productivity toward employers while reducing attrition. You will be surprised by the outcome quality of healthy communication post these initiatives.
5. Streamline communication tools. Match tech with purpose.When it comes to communication tools, it is recommended not to take a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, match your technology with the purpose. Your purpose in communication needs to drive the technology mechanism. We often prefer to pick tools that are either recommended, in-trend or that we have hands-on experience with; however, with technological advancements, some tools have specialized capabilities that help organizations achieve specific tasks and milestones.

Here are some ways communication classification can help you pick the right tools:

• Lean, text-based, one-direction: Use email, chat, intranet bulletin boards, Igloo, Box or Google Drive.
• Brainstorming, problem-solving, multidirectional team interactions: Use videoconferencing or audio-conferencing tools that allow screen sharing or whiteboards like Flowdock, Slack, Teams, Meet, Webex and Zoom.
• Project management, milestones and time tracking: Monday.com, Asana, Trello, Basecamp, Time Doctor, Proofhub.

Ineffective communication can adversely affect employee brand loyalty, reduce productivity, duplicate work and impact innovation. Schedule timely check-ins (as needed) or communications training with your team pertaining to improving interpersonal communications. Constructive two-way communication helps identify issues before they grow to be a potential risk.

Originally published in MPI Toronto meeting Magazine Fall Issue. Click here to read- https://www.meetingmagazine-digital.com/mptq/0420_fall_2020/MobilePagedArticle.action?articleId=1635027&app=false#articleId1635027