Improving Internal Communications LO18776

Richard C. Holloway (learnshops@thresholds.com)
Sat, 01 Aug 1998 07:01:52 -0700

Replying to LO18770 --

Simon Buckingham wrote (in part):

> In sum, I advocate systematic information exchange- via email,
> face-to-face meetings and so on, supplemented with some informal
> communication- friendships and so on. Removing the static structures and
> policies is also essential. In a world where communication is structure,
> not taking these measures endangers the very existenc- and certainly the
> effectiveness- of the company.

Yes, Simon--I like this thought of creating system exchanges.

I am finding a need, too, to advocate "professionalism" in communications
and relationships. There is also a need for standards of etiquette in the
e-mail exchange, and appropriate communications skills at all times.
E-mail tends to degenerate too easily into faceless assaults. As I
mentioned to a recent client, e-mails that CC the boss(es) and other
coworkers also allow a person to "stab" one's foe in the front and the
back simultaneously. I know that more and more workplaces are setting
standards for e-mail correspondence--but these often fall short of the
mark. Our efforts to create cooperative and meaningful communication in
the workplace must include these electronic forms. (A few years ago, it
was sending memos--remember?)

Relationships can degenerate too, if we don't explore and agree on
professional standards of behavior. Ideally, creating a culture of
creative cooperation (in communication and relationships) will foster the
behavior appropriate to the workplace--and one that's supportive,
effective and productive.

regards,

Doc

-- 
"We are luminous beings.  We are perceivers.  We are not objects.  We have no
solidity.  We are boundless.  The world of objects and solidity is a way of
making our passage on earth convenient.  It is only a description that was
created to help us.  We or rather our reasons, forget that the description is
only a description and thus we entrap the totality of ourselves in a vicious
circle from which we rarely emerge in a lifetime.  We are perceivers.  The
world that we perceive though is an illusion.  It was created by a description
that was told to us since the moment we were born." -Don Juan

Thresholds <http://www.thresholds.com> Meeting Masters <http://www.thresholds.com/masters.html> Richard C. "Doc" Holloway Astoria, Or & Olympia, WA USA ICQ# 10849650 voice 360.786.0925

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