Benefit Consultants Blog

Communication lies at the heart of any business. There is a simple thing that can be done to improve any businesses communications and yet few businesses ever pay any attention to it. As a draughtsman I quickly had to learn that you must assume the person who was looking at your drawing knew nothing. If it is true that experts are people who have made lots of mistakes then I am a super expert.

You should never write as though you were having a conversation. When so much of communication is usually down to visual clues in a conversation when those visual clues are not available communication becomes much harder. This is rubbish. Writing is a tool of communication; it is not simply a way of conveying a conversation.

A little while ago I was involved in a project where we had to redevelop part of a web site. To compound the problem both parts were tending to be referred to by the same name. I was frustrated that they couldn’t understand what I was talking about and they were frustrated that I couldn’t understand what they were talking about. It was only because I said something that immediately made the other person see we were talking about different things that suddenly we started making sense to each other.

The real trick is to write in such a way that you communicate your message without overdoing the detail. So use few words but don’t assume that the other person knows what you are talking about. Clearly there are good reasons for such thinking and many organizations take that advice to heart and it becomes policy. Any communication expert who studies business communication will tell you that such things need to be handled very carefully to keep employees and team members fully engaged.

Is it true that not everyone can be trusted with information? Well, information is power and if you power-up those who cannot control their integrity levels or choose not to, then in a way giving them the information makes you an accessory to their actions. For instance, many folks have a lot of knowledge, experience, observations, insight and original thoughts.

But, like water it does flow, information, like living organisms want to be free. Thus, the information just like water stopped in the river by beavers, well, eventually it will find a way, it always does. The right information is defined both as the correct information and only the need to know information.

There is little doubt that the business world locally, nationally and globally has been forever changed by the information age. The future of communication will show us more of the same, just as “The Road Ahead” predicted over a decade ago. But, what will these new technologies be that increase business communication speed of transmission and bandwidth be like? Well, there will be light-speed communication around the globe using satellites and what we might perceive as infinite bandwidth.

Soon, we will have super small devices that operate by voice and eventually by thought. The storage capacity will be better than the library of congress even for a device the size of a mini-cell phone. Well, think about it for a second, you can collaborate on designs. You will be able to see a miniature of whoever you are talking too, watch the body language and get a much better feel for the conversation. 

Communication lies at the heart of any business. There is a simple thing that can be done to improve any businesses communications and yet few businesses ever pay any attention to it. This did not mean believing they were stupid (something business people often wrongly assume about those who read their communications) but that they just knew nothing about what I was trying to get across. If it is true that experts are people who have made lots of mistakes then I am a super expert.

You should never write as though you were having a conversation. When you have a conversation it usually means that part of the message is assumed. You should be conversational (e.g. write using the kind of words you might use if you were having a conversation) but not as though you were having a conversation. Writing is far more complex than this.

A little while ago I was involved in a project where we had to redevelop part of a web site. I had assumed from the beginning that we were working on one part of the site (the part I thought needed the most work) but the person employing me thought it was another part of the site. This continued for about two weeks. It was only because I said something that immediately made the other person see we were talking about different things that suddenly we started making sense to each other.

The real trick is to write in such a way that you communicate your message without overdoing the detail. So use few words but don’t assume that the other person knows what you are talking about. Many entrepreneurs and leaders will admit that some information needs to be available on a need to know basis to prevent that information from slipping into the hands of the media, competition or enemy. Of course, on the flip side is the dirty word of secrets and many folks who are not privy to secrets feel disrespected because they are not trusted and therefore, do not give their 100% at work.

Is it true that not everyone can be trusted with information? Many people would agree, some would go so far as to say that humans cannot be trusted with information, but why? For instance, many folks have a lot of knowledge, experience, observations, insight and original thoughts.

But, like water it does flow, information, like living organisms want to be free. Sometimes, even the folks who have the information do not even trust themselves with the information they have because it’s too easy to make a mistake. As the saying goes; lose lips sink ships.

There is little doubt that the business world locally, nationally and globally has been forever changed by the information age. The future of communication will show us more of the same, just as “The Road Ahead” predicted over a decade ago. But, what will these new technologies be that increase business communications speed of transmission and bandwidth be like? Well, there will be light-speed communication around the globe using satellites and what we might perceive as infinite bandwidth.

Soon, we will have super small devices that operate by voice and eventually by thought. The storage capacity will be better than the library of congress even for a device the size of a mini-cell phone. Well, think about it for a second, you can collaborate on designs. It’s time to start planning ahead for your business communication future.

Communication lies at the heart of any business. In fact I would even go so far as to say that without communication there can be no business. This did not mean believing they were stupid (something business people often wrongly assume about those who read their communications) but that they just knew nothing about what I was trying to get across. If it is true that experts are people who have made lots of mistakes then I am a super expert.

You should never write as though you were having a conversation. When so much of communication is usually down to visual clues in a conversation when those visual clues are not available communication becomes much harder. This is rubbish. Writing is a tool of communication; it is not simply a way of conveying a conversation.

A little while ago I was involved in a project where we had to redevelop part of a web site. This meant that our conversations became very annoying for both of us. I was frustrated that they couldn’t understand what I was talking about and they were frustrated that I couldn’t understand what they were talking about. This is not an uncommon problem in business.

The real trick is to write in such a way that you communicate your message without overdoing the detail. There is nothing more annoying than having to read a simple message with a lot of other words in the way. Many entrepreneurs and leaders will admit that some information needs to be available on a need to know basis to prevent that information from slipping into the hands of the media, competition or enemy. Any communication expert who studies business communication will tell you that such things need to be handled very carefully to keep employees and team members fully engaged.

Is it true that not everyone can be trusted with information? Well, information is power and if you power-up those who cannot control their integrity levels or choose not to, then in a way giving them the information makes you an accessory to their actions. And unfortunately, they have also been a studier of human societies and civilizations for long enough to see the problematic nature of the flow of information.

But, like water it does flow, information, like living organisms want to be free. Sometimes, even the folks who have the information do not even trust themselves with the information they have because it’s too easy to make a mistake. As the saying goes; lose lips sink ships.

There is little doubt that the business world locally, nationally and globally has been forever changed by the information age. Today, the world is closer together than ever before and an economic crisis in any one country has far-reaching effects elsewhere around the world. But, what will these new technologies be that increase business communications speed of transmission and bandwidth be like? No it will not be infinite by any means, but compared to what we have now it will be.

Soon, we will have super small devices that operate by voice and eventually by thought. The storage capacity will be better than the library of congress even for a device the size of a mini-cell phone. Well, think about it for a second, you can collaborate on designs. But that’s not all this technology will do and there will be entrepreneurs and innovators bringing you new applications for these new fantastic business communication tools, as fast as they can think them up.