06.21.05
Technology & Communication
 By Robert F. Abbott
A study a couple of years ago found that 63% of executives were making
fewer business trips because of technology.
Instead of a plane trip, face-to-face meetings and a plane trip
back, they used email, videoconferencing, or online meetings, according
to the Accountemps study.
If you're a manager who's spending less time with a suitcase and
more with a mouse, you'll want to pay attention to the nature of
the media we use, and especially when sending important messages.
A few years ago we heard a lot about etiquette in electronic messaging
(netiquette) on the Internet, about needing to be conscious of how
messages might be misconstrued by receivers. One of the ideas to
come out of that effort was emoticons, little text symbols that
aimed to make up for the loss of facial expressions and body language.
Emoticons and netiquette have pretty much disappeared, but the world
of electronic communication still can be a dangerous place.
And especially dangerous if the stakes are high, as they're likely
to be when managers communicate this way. So, let's further explore
some issues that arise when we communicate electronically, rather
than face-to-face.
In my limited experience with videoconferencing, for example, I
found I had to work harder just catch the words, which reduced the
amount facial expression information I took in. And, if the camera
adjusted to take in more facial expressions, then some body language
was lost.
Think, too, about the differences in messages sent by email versus
those sent as conventional printed letters. Email certainly leads
to faster responses and greater efficiency. However, when sending
a printed letter we proofread it both on the screen and in print.
And, the time between our initial thoughts and sending the letter
is longer. That provides time for second thoughts, sober or otherwise,
thoughts that might be wiser or better expressed.
Here's one more challenge: I recently looked at the idea of being
an online seminars facilitator. Participants would take part through
their computers. In addition to getting a voice feed, they would also
watch the screen, which would be divided into three active sections.
One portion would carry my notes, another would show reader questions,
and a third would show something else.
As the presenter, I think I could handle the sending. But, how would
receivers handle these flows of information? In person, it's easy
to watch a speaker, see her slides on screen, and listen to her at
the same time. But, is it the same taking in all this information
when it comes through a computer screen and speakers?
Don't get me wrong. I like new technologies, not because they're replacing
something else, but because they offer new options. Whether through
access, price, or interactivity level, new technology opens doors
to communicators.
But, we need to think about the implications for receivers when
we communicate through new media. Come to think of it, didn't Marshall
McLuhan write the book on this a generation ago?
In summary: With more managers communicating through new technologies,
rather than travel and face-to-face meetings, we need to consider
what can happen to important messages when they are transmitted through
the new media.
About the Author:
Robert F. Abbott, the author of A Manager’s Guide to Newsletters:
Communicating for Results, writes and publishes Abbott’s
Communication Letter. Read more articles about Internet communication,
as well as email and printed newsletters at: http://www.communication-newsletter.com/ic.html |
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