New Year Resolutions of a Manager - National HRD Network

Five occasions when you must
communicate face to face
Sunder Ramachandran
Technology has made communication when the boss invites them to their cabin. apology mail would not suffice in a sensitive
simple for most of us. Today most
issue like this. Go to the client's office if
"It's difficult to build rapport over an email; I
clients, colleagues and stakeholders are just
possible without them having to call you and
would feel much better if my boss
a phone call or email away. While these tools
offer an explanation and reassure them of
appreciates me in person" says Ashok
score high on convenience and speed, they
the confidence that they demonstrated when
krishnan a C.A with Nestle.
lack the warmth and emotion that only face
they gave you business. Your client's would
to face communication can provide. Criticising or providing feedback
be pleasantly surprised that you took the
While speed of communication is critical, When you provide feedback over an e-mail time to come and meet them even when
there are some occasions where you must or phone call, the receiver may have a things went wrong.
revive the forgotten art of face to face
communication.
completely different perception about the
relevance of that message. This effect is
"I used to interact with on almost a daily basis
with a client over emails without ever figuring
amplified when you are not communicating
Appreciating employees - Don't replace
out whether the person was male or female.
face to face. The reader or listener may think
the pat on the back with the 'Thank you'
When a report I was supposed to send got
that you are cold and indifferent and that's
and 'Good job' e-mails
delayed, I made a rude comment about a
why you avoid meeting them in person to female colleague which offended the client
Criticising or providing feedback - A face discuss the issue. A face to face meeting who also happened to be a lady" says
to face meeting gives you the opportunity gives you the opportunity to put your point Deepak M.L a Manager with a leading BPO.
to put your point across while being across while being sensitive and diplomatic
sensitive and diplomatic at the same time at the same time.
Resolving conflicts
Assigning a new responsibility - There "I have noticed that employees often use e- Workplace conflicts are common in most
is a great risk of the message getting mails to avoid confronting the real issue. If organisations and the lack of interpersonal
diluted when a responsibility gets
delegated through an e-mail or phone call
an employee fails to meet the target, I would
prefer if they just tell me in person rather
communication only worsens the situation.
It's important to remember that 55% of
than offer an explanation over an e-mail" meaning in an interaction comes from facial
Damage control with Clients - An apology
says Vidhanshu Bansal a Director with Pixel and body language and 38% comes from
mail would not suffice in a sensitive issue
Webtech.
vocal inflection. Only 7% of an interaction's
like failing to meet a client commitment.
meaning is derived from the words
Assigning a new responsibility
Resolving conflicts - Only 7% of an
themselves. So trying to resolve a conflict
interaction's meaning is derived from the
words themselves. So trying to resolve a
There is a great risk of the message getting
diluted when a responsibility gets delegated
over an e-mail or phone call is often a bad
idea.
conflict over phone or e-mail is a bad idea. through an e-mail or phone call. Don't be
"An employee complained about a colleague
surprised if your employees don't show you
Appreciating employees
and copied the senior management on the
a sense of ownership and do not complete
In the words of Helen Keller "We are all
mail. I was surprised to see that mail
tasks on time if you are not communicating
walking with a signboard on our forehead
translating into a flood of mails providing and
face to face. Nonverbal communication,
which reads - Appreciate me". It seems we such as tone of voice, facial gestures, and
seeking explanation. The person who sent
have replaced the pat on the back with the eye contact help individuals understand the
the original mail was just one floor above
'Thank you' and 'Good job' e-mails. There is importance of a task and the need to
the person who was at the receiving end. I
nothing that motivates an employee more complete it on time.
had to sit down with both the employees in
than seeing their boss walk up to them in
person to resolve the conflict." Says
"We rely on conference calls, video
person and appreciate them in front of
Kailasam R a manager with Lufthansa
conferencing and online meetings but I have
everyone.
Airlines.
learnt in my experience that there's nothing
Walk up to your colleague's cabin and thank
them for the great report that they sent or
the presentation that they made recently. I
more impactful than meeting the team in
person" says Delhi based Ashu Gosh, a
Manager with Aviar I.T Consulting
Your communication style says a lot about
you as a professional. In the words of Ralph
Waldo Emerson "You are always under
remember one of my ex bosses who used
examination by people around you, awarding
Damage control with Clients
to call all the team members to his cabin
or denying you very high prizes when you
just to say thanks and pat our back. The
team immediately took a liking for him as
If you haven't provided the product or
service the client expects, you are putting
least think of it." So leave the comfort of your
cubicle and build trustworthy relationships by
most people expect a warning or feedback the relationship with the client at stake. An communicating face to face. u H
Sunder Ramachandran is Managing Partner at W.C.H Solutions, New Delhi. He can be reached at sunder@wchsolutions.com
| HRD News Letter | January 2007, Vol.22, Issue:10 26|