In this industry of event delivery or event management, and all points in-between, we should all
be fabulous communicators, gliding along the dry, compressed air of smooth interaction, of the grease of wonderful engagement, of clear and long rails of instruction and advice. We should be smiling because we all ‘get’ everything under the communications heading. But, we don’t, even if we say that we understand the premise that effective communication facilitates performance management, innovation, client interaction and teamwork.
Managers and producers all say they spearhead a coordinated effort in their companies to make communication a priority. Industry leaders say that they foster a climate of free-flowing communication by encouraging trust, openness and positive reinforcement. But, clients (who invariably have very little room to gloat on this topic) often complain that agency communications are dire.
According to various industry reports, we spend approximately 80 per cent of our time communicating or attempting to communicate with others. But, if we’re honest, every day there’s at least one confusion over who said or wrote what - whether that’s an email, a brief or a proposal.
Effective managers have regular, one-on-one sessions with employees in order to understand their points of view. They encourage employees to participate in developing department mission statements and project goals that are meaningful to all involved. This inspires commitment to achieving goals and leads to creative solutions. Open communication enhances employees’ knowledge and satisfaction.
So, what’s the problem?
After all, we all recognise brilliant communication when we see it.
Without question, some colleagues’ organisations do suffer from message overload – huge volumes of emails every hour, every day. Client emails are not always given the priority they deserve leading to unnecessary drama.
A large percentage of internal messages are either useless or distracting to the recipients. They feed the egos of the sender.
Some managers mistakenly believe that written directions will automatically result in comprehension. If nothing happens, or if the wrong thing happens, then the sender assumes that it’s the fault of the recipient. It doesn’t stop there and the lack of communications follow up or
feedback is endemic.
Positive feedback from managers helps teams improve performance and fosters their ability to take direction well and willingly. In contrast, giving general, negative feedback can create animosity. Assuming that the delivery of an email is all that’s required when a manager wants something done is just plain lazy.
People need systems to manage the flow of information. Many staff in the world of event management and delivery, particularly junior ones, have no idea to whom they should speak about many topics. Formal communication may be downward or upward, or horizontal, but if people don’t know in which direction communication should flow in the first place, then the business suffers.
Downward communication obviously refers to communications from superiors to direct reports and, occasionally, right down below and across. Such communication may be used to communicate ‘Now hear this’ messages, procedures, performance feedback and company information. Upward communication refers to messages going from subordinates to immediate superiors and is used to convey updates of activity, unsolved work problems, suggestions for improvement (the latter alas infrequent because of real or imagined fear), client-related issues and how subordinates feel about each other and their jobs. Managers are responsible for improving and encouraging upward communication. Some don’t and others can’t remember the names of all the people for whom they have some responsibility.
There are some easy fixes: a genuine open-door policy, walking the talk, establishing clear grievance procedures, periodic interviews, group meetings, a suggestions mechanism. Such methods are only effective when managers are sincerely interested in hearing from their staff.
To create a climate of communication, managers must ensure that they and their staff
have the skills and knowledge to communicate effectively. In some cases, this may require training. However, the most important aspect of staff training should come on a daily basis from leaders who really lead through example, while making communication issues a priority.
Involving staff in decisions about the goals and methods of communication will also help create
a climate of communication and will lessen doubt and apprehension.
Overall, open (and regular) debate works. Communication must become habitual for all staff, with systems (although, please, not too many) in place to support it, such as regularly scheduled group meetings, regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings, newsletters, staff briefings, informal social gatherings – whatever suits the organisation. But you have to want to make these things work. Just getting 20 people standing around with a glass of flat Cava clasped to their bosoms and calling it an ‘all hands’ meeting, but with nothing of value said or discussed, isn’t it.
Informal networks can be the most important means of communication in any organisation. But, if other forms of communication don’t exist or aren’t working, then informal communication can support a raging rumour mill and the result can be destructive.
The most appropriate paths of communication of course depend on the importance of the information being communicated and the size of the organisation. Any communication process involves a person sending an original encoded message via a particular chosen channel. The recipient then decodes the message, encodes a feedback message, selects a channel and transmits a response.
Then the original sender decodes the feedback message. Encoding refers to the process of choosing words and sometimes graphics that clearly convey the message. With face-to-face communication, non-verbal methods like body language and tone of voice are also relevant. Many problems occur at the decoding stage, when the receiver tries to interpret the sender’s message (verbal and/or nonverbal) with as little distortion as possible. Also, using an inappropriate channel can result in misunderstandings and affect relationships.
Like a lot of management skills, communication, and ensuring that communications have worked,
amount to reasonable common sense.
But they do require effort and that’s the sticking point. Put the effort in and the results will improve immediately. What’s more, staff and colleagues will be happier souls.
Any comments? Email exhibitionworld@mashmedia.net
