The Oldest Problem: Communication in a Digital Age
“The newest computer can merely compound, at speed, the oldest problem in the relations between human beings, and in the end the communicator will be confronted with the old problem, of what to say and how to say it.” - Edward R. Murrow Murrow was writing in an age that had not yet imagined the multitude of communication tools that are available today. Despite this he is uncannily prescient as to the impact of all of the tools that the information age has given birth to; they compound, at speed, the oldest problem of what to say and how to say it. Beyond some broad categories of types of communications, the question of what to say is beyond the scope of this conversation. There is a vast array of literature, courses, and online advice on how to be a more effective communicator. What is lacking are good guides for how to effectively choose the right tool for your communications. This presentation proposes a set of key characteristics to consider when choosing how, when, or where to communication. It also rates the most common methods of communicating based on them. The notes pages contain additional information from the presentation. Enjoy!
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The Oldest Problem: Communication in a Digital Age
- 1. THE OLDEST PROBLEM Communication in a Digital Age
- 2. The newest computer can merely compound, at speed, the oldest problem in the relations between human beings In the end the communicator will be confronted with the old problem, of what to say and how to say it
- 3. SYNCHRONICITY Coincidence in time; contemporaneousness; simultaneousness
- 4. IMMEDIACY The state, condition, or quality of being immediate
- 5. EFFECTIVENESS Producing the intended or expected result
- 7. EFFICIENCY The ability to accomplish a job with a minimum expenditure of time or effort
- 8. ACCESSIBILITY Easy to approach, reach, speak with, or use
- 9. RELEVANCE Having direct bearing on the matter at hand
- 10. COMMUNICATION SCORECARD Synchronicity Immediacy Effectiveness Persistence Efficiency Accessibility Face to face Most Telephone IM Chat Groups/ Forums Blogs Email Least
Editor's Notes
- Communication may either be synchronous (face to face, phone), asynchronous (e-mail, groups, blogs, voice-mail), or near-synchronous (chat, instant messaging).Near-synchronicity can only be achieved if the tool is readily available to the user.
- The immediacy of communication methods is directly related to their synchronicity, and when making a communication be sure that the tool chosen supports the urgency or immediacy of the email. For instance, an email requiring an immediate response from someone who may or may not be at their computer is not an effective choice unless other methods have already failed.
- The effectiveness of varying types of communication has been studied extensively. Despite our best efforts, there is no method as efficient as face communication. Other methods bring with them various limitations due to the need to interpret content and so forth. Effectiveness is also impacted by the number of participants in the method. Pentland: Face to Face (6) Video conference: (4)
- The persistence of the content of various communication methods varies wildly, and usually inversely to their synchronicity. The content of face to face and telephone conversations is ephemeral unless supported by more persistent tools, such as minutes, follow-up emails, and so forth. Asynchronous systems, by their very nature require some persistence of content in order to function.
- Varying communication tools have different efficiencies which should be considered when choosing them. For example, e-mail is an extremely inefficient method of distributing a document for review: - multiple copies are generated, consuming resources, reviewers work in a vacuum, unaware of the concerns of others, multiple copies introduce the possibility of fragmentation of effortsSimilarly, face to face communication can be inefficient if you are unprepared.
- Whether the person you need to speak with or the content they have created is accessible is another factor to consider.. When choosing a communication method it is important to consider whether there is a need for the information to be accessed later, and by whom. For instance, information that must be accessible to the auditors may have different requirements from that which does not.
- This is on you…The relevance of content is controlled by choices made those participating in a conversation. Depending on the quality of those choices a particular method of communication can be rendered more or less effective. E.g.Meeting facilitation to ensure agendas are set and objectives are achieved is a good example of a method of ensuring that the content of a particular conversation remains relevant. Similarly, correctly choosing a tool to facilitate a conversation can impact the relevance of the communication. Attempting to hold a conversation between two individuals in a common chat room or forum is not an effective way of ensuring relevance
- Notice that voice mail doesn’t even make the cut.