3 Effective Communication Habits of Successful Professionals
How to Ensure Your Message Gets Across with the Right Intent
Successful professionals don’t become achievers by accident. When you combine these three effective communication habits you can enhance your ability to convey your intent and increase your productivity. Side effects may also include becoming more approachable, inclusion and a feeling of fulfillment.
1. Step Away From Your Email
“I feel like all I do is answer emails all day” said my husband. This is more than just a feeling, most professionals spend at least one-quarter of their day deep in the inbox sandpit. While appearing seductively convenient, email is a secret productivity killer.
An average employee spends 17 hours per week checking email.
⚠ Email is a Productivity Killer
In a fascinating study done by the University of California at Irvine and Armand Cardello: after establishing baseline performance data, 13 professionals participated in a 5 day work period without access to email. With no access to email, participants changed their habits. They began to communicate face-to-face and over the telephone more frequently. The researchers noticed a drastic reduction in stress levels and an increase in focus. Miscommunications were reported by the participants to be drastically reduced as well as the time to complete tasks.
It could be said that over 30% of email received and sent by most professionals is not informative, relevant, or necessary.
⚠ Email Takes More Time
By the time you calculate all the interruptions, proof-reading, waiting for a response and clarifying your point: email is a dead loser to in-person communication. During several experiments that I personally performed with a control group it was determined that, on average, email takes almost 175% longer to accurately convey the same message than it does in person.
Consider an in-person conversation that lasts for about 5 minutes. If the same information was exchanged via email, it could absorb over 43.75 minutes of your time!
⚠ Email is Seriously Missing Something
[inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”CoachEurban” suffix=””]Effective communication actually has less to do with what you actually say and more to do with your tone of voice and body language.[/inlinetweet] Without those two important aspects of communication: the interpretation is left entirely up to the reader. Two people can read the exact same message and have two completely different reactions based on their bias, perspective, experience, and emotional state.
2. Have Open Dialogues
Our society is slowly stepping away from the ability to hold an open dialogue. In the corporate world: we feel like there isn’t enough time to touch base in person. Most people don’t realize how much actual time a misunderstanding can take. There are a few rules for an effective dialogue that will make the difference between a meeting that matters or yet another waste of time.
✓ Actively Listen
Allow others to speak freely without getting too far off topic or rehashing ancient history. Listen to what others have to say without thinking about what you are going to say next. Only when you commit yourself to listen with your full attention are you actually listening.
✓ Paraphrase
It’s perfectly acceptable to repeat what you thought you heard to ensure that you understood correctly. This is not disrespectful or acting stupid. When you aren’t sure or feel like there could potentially be some misinterpretation: repeat the message you heard to maintain clarity.
✓ Engage Others
If you make a point to start meaningful conversations regularly, people will feel that you’re interested in their work. You can reduce misunderstandings and the inevitable frustration that comes with excessive email-slinging.
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw
3. Put Down Your Smartphone
How you use your smartphone could be creating communication roadblocks instead of removing them. If you want to make sure you are presenting a professional and approachable demeanor, there is a smart way to use your smartphone at work.
Now that smartphones have become an electronic extension of ourselves, it’s important to understand the role they play in communication. In other words, how we interact with our phone around others matters more than you think.
☹ You Aren’t That Important
If you are like most people, myself included, we couldn’t imagine leaving home without our smartphone. However, if you put your phone on the table in front of you around others, it sends the wrong signal. There are reasons why many successful people don’t bring smartphones into meetings.
Having your smartphone out is basically saying no one in the room is more important. You are unwittingly sending a clear signal that whatever is on your phone, comes first. While that might be true, it’s not a great idea to advertise your opinion. Resist the urge to have your smartphone on the table in front of you. Put it away, or better yet, do not bring it to the meeting at all.
☹ My Work Doesn’t Matter
It might not have occurred to you that having your smartphone on your desk at work isn’t helping your productivity. Since most people have their smartphones with them, there is a constant temptation to look at it while working. The University of Texas at Austin found that even having a smartphone near you drains your productivity.
Your cognitive capacity is significantly reduced when your smartphone is within reach — even if it’s off. – Study from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin
▶ Leave your phone in your desk drawer. Keep it out of sight. If you can, leave it in your car. Even if you can resist the urge to look at it multiple times an hour, [inlinetweet prefix=”” tweeter=”CoachEurban” suffix=””]the mere presence of a smartphone sends the signal that you’d rather be interrupted than be productive.[/inlinetweet]
A little bit about me …. my name is Erin Urban (LSSBB, CPDC), I’m a member of the Forbes Coaches Council, a keynote speaker, a certified career growth and leadership development coach with almost a decade of mentoring and coaching successful professional transformations.
There is nothing more rewarding than helping people achieve their dreams!
With an extensive background in leading individual, cultural and organizational change initiatives: my mission is to lift you up to defy your limits and exceed your goals!
Career Growth Contributor on:
Thrive Global | besomebody.com | Forbes.com
