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"The problem with communication is the illusion that it has occurred".George Bernard Shaw
Appropriate Business Communication
Overview
● Business Communications● Communications Media● Meetings● Telephone / Text Messaging● Email● Information Systems (forums, CRM, EMS, etc.)● Formal documents and processes (RFP, NDA)
How to Pick Your Medium
Synchronous Asynchronous
Quick Summary Highly Detailed
Directed to Individual(s) Passive Broadcast
Informal / Personal Formal / Impersonal
Immediate Store & Retrieve
Cheap, Easy Costly, Time Consuming
Business Communications
● From one entity to another● Company, organization, government● Entity is responsible for your communication
● Addressing a role, not a person● People leave, change jobs● Will your communications be lost?
● Understand your Objective● Know the purpose● Take responsibility for achieving
Meetings - Invitations
● Send agenda, time, duration, location● reminder if booked in advance● distance participants?
● Take minutes, highlight conclusions● Distribute written summary● Invitations can become emotional
Telephone
● Ask if it's a good time● Cell phones make this extra important● Your emergency is not necessarily their priority
● Be aware of your recipient's business hours● Always leave a message
● Name, purpose of call, will call again? Please call? Need to talk, or just an answer?
● Try to close the loop!
● Update your availability in your voice mailbox
Text Messaging
● Very efficient alternative to voice● same general rules apply
● Becoming pervasive, but not yet● Consider the age of your recipient
● Fantastic when integrated with systems● Not good for saving
● but the ones that get you in trouble will be saved!● can be retrieved and used against you
Email – to, cc and bcc
● “to” implies action required or main target● “cc” to keep recipient informed● “bcc” - blind carbon copy
● many addresses● recipients should see other addresses● explain who has received the email in these cases● VERY CAREFULLY as a way of surreptitiously
including someone in a stream of communication– This can result in serious repercussions
Email / Posting : Subject Line
● use “URGENT”, “IMMEDIATE” carefully● enable quick filing, finding later
● categorize, e.g. project / customer / product / etc.● NO PERSONAL/CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
● do identify as “personal / confidential” if the recipient should be careful who is around when they open it
● think about preview panes too...
Email / Posting : Content
● do not include negative emotional statements● assume everyone will read what you wrote
● do not mix information from different sources● talking about two projects? send two emails
● do not mix personal and business● Email is legally retrievable for 7 years● (arguably) the company owns email from
corporate accounts
Information Systems
● Specialized systems for tracking information● Enterprise Management Systems (EMS)● Customer Relationship Management (CRM)● Content / Document Management● Data Warehouse● Many, many possibilities
● Expensive, time consuming● Store & retrieve, broadcast, detailed● Requires discipline and training to use
Formal Communication Tools● Logbook● Peer reviewed publication● Quote / Proposal● PO , Invoice
● (purchase order)
● RFQ / RFP / RFI : Request For● Quote, Proposal, Information
● NDA – Non-Disclosure Agreement
LogBook
● formally recognized engineering document● daily journal of activities, decisions● could be electronic or paper● can be subpoena'd● very useful in defending your decisions later● when billing hourly, this is critical to defending
hours billed
Peer reviewed publication
● Academic or professional document● The standard “unit” of achievement in research● Reviewed by a group of peer editors
● Published in a journal● Presented and published at conference
● Generally a slow process● Guarantees quality of results (*)
Quote or Proposal
● Quote : detailed list of products / services ● with prices
● Proposal : description of complex set of services and products ● Solve a particular problem● Generally more sophisticated than a quote
● Sets an expectation● but not legally binding
● Should always have an expiry date
PO, Contract, Invoice
● Purchase Order / Contract is a binding request● Financial obligation approved by company officer● PO for simpler, noncontroversial purchases● Contract defines terms, can be very complicated
● Invoice is a formal request to be paid● How and when (e.g. net 30) for payment● Should relate back to PO or contract
● These are considered assets by a bank➢ but not at 100%!
Request For: Quote / Proposal / Information
● Formal multivendor requisition process● Will have strict rules in place for
communications between vendor and purchaser● Process defined with each RF_● Questions & answers will be given to all vendors
● Rules will vary dramatically➢ Management of process will vary dramatically too!
NonDisclosure Agreement
● Agreement to keep information confidential● Entities or individuals identified
● Legally binding, difficult to evaluate damages● may be explicitly specified
● Very common form of contract● Mostly common sense
Non Compete Agreement
● Agreement to not “compete” in some way● Widely varying support from the courts● The description of compete must be detailed
and justifiable (in Ontario)● More binding for senior employees / owners● Consult a lawyer before signing
➢ You can NEVER take your customer information
Summary - THINK
● Understand your objective● You represent a company / organization● Negative, nonconstructive, emotional
communications never help● Bluntly, clearly addressing the issue is good● If you are really angry – don't send / submit it● If you need to blow off steam, do it verbally
● Never write down anything deliberately insulting, illegal or injurious to yourself
SummaryMeeting Synchronous, high detail, personal, formal or
informal, may not be good for saving information, costly and time consuming, delayed, small to large number of participants
Phone Synchronous (or nearly), low detail, personal, informal, poor for saving information, moderate expense, moderate time use, reasonably immediate, generally 1-1 or small number of people
Chat Near synchronous, low detail, somewhat personal, informal, poor for saving information, inexpensive, low time use, reasonably immediate, 1-1 or small number of people
Email Asynchronous, medium to high detail, moderately personal to moderately impersonal, good for saving information for about a year, inexpensive, low time use, should be received within a day, personal to many recipients
Forums,Web Sites
Passive, moderately to highly detailed, possibly structured, moderately personal to totally impersonal, moderate for long term information retrieval, moderately inexpensive, broadcast, medium to long delays
Summary
Information System Passive (usually), high detail and structure, impersonal, good for long term retrieval, many recipients, broadcast, expensive, time consuming to use, delays variable
Quote, PO, Invoice Passive, formal, highly structured with simple detail, impersonal, few recipients but a formal process, moderately time consuming, moderately expensive, highly variable delays
Proposal, Contract, Invoice
Asynchronous, formal, less structured but more complex details, mostly impersonal, more recipients and less formal process, VERY time consuming and expensive, highly variable delays
RFP, RFQ, RFI Formal process dictates time and structure of information passing, impersonal, many recipients, VERY VERY time consuming and expensive, highly variable delays
Peer ReviewedPublication
Very slow, formal process, impersonal, broadcast, moderately detailed, provides some guarantee of quality (ideally)