The previous two posts examined writing and verbal communication. This post focuses on communicating through social media, email, and telephonic means. This seems repetitive, however, leaders need to adjust their communication style to each of these means of communication to be effective. Given the thesis of this essay series, repetitive communication delivered through more than one means, this part started to tie elements of effective communication together. We will start with a short definition of each form of communication, followed by a discussion of how to obtain better results with each. 

Social Media

FaceBook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, Digg, Twitter…yes all these are forms of social media. Instant messaging in the form of SMS text, Signal, Messenger, LinkedIn, Slack and other options are also social media. Some of the earliest forms of social media were public bulletin boards offered by dial up information service providers like CompuServe, America On-Line, and Prodigy. Social media is a very informal way to communicate with others. It involves lots of lingo, images, and non text images (emojis) to send messages. It is quick and easy to post a thought or idea before comprehending the significance of the words on others.

Email

Email goes back to the birth of the internet and was one of the primary means of communication in the days DARPA connected to selected universities. More formal than instant messaging, it is more disposable than traditional written correspondence, yet it is a level up from social media. Email often involves more thought than social media. Users generally communicate in complete sentences, even when they do use acronyms and jargon. 

Telephone

The old telephone is the second generation of electronic messaging, coming right after the telegraph. Few of us today can translate Morse Code, but the telegraph is still used around the world. Telephones have evolved much since those early days. You can make a call without even using the native phone app on your phone. Many social media platforms offer both voice and video calling options today. Just this morning, I engaged in a conversation with another leader seven time zones away on a different continent using Signal. It was still a phone call. Voice and video communication share commonalities. Unlike email and social media, you have access to more cues about a person’s state of mind during the communication. However, given the spoken words are nearly instantaneous, thinking of appropriate, instant responses presents challenges.

With all these options and challenges to communicate electronically, people often wonder how it was possible to complete tasks or make decisions without them. All these methods improve communication with those we lead. If someone is in a different time zone, you can shoot a text, Signal message, or SMS at any hour. They can respond at a reasonable hour for them. In the past, phone calls and letters were the only options and phone calls were very expensive.

Using these Tools Effectively

Begin by understanding you there are different rules for communicating with those you lead and your pals. You can OMG, LOL, BRB, and AFK all you want with your pals. When communicating in a leadership role, formality is more important using any of these means. Now that phone calls can be made over the web, talk is cheap. Remember that if you talk cheaply, you receive cheap results. Just like writing, think about the message  you want received before dialing, or asking your digital assistant Siri, Alexa, or Google to dial for you

Be clear in your communication, whether by phone, social media, or text. Be specific about your expectations. Given the nature of these communications, it is not uncommon to communicate with people in different time zones. The military does everything on Zulu or universal time. I drove my Operations people nuts when I specified local times for people across different time zones. My thought was if I did the math, I knew it was right. If a leader wants people on a virtual meeting across different time zones, the leader has the responsibility to specify the local times. Yes, it is harder on you. However, if someone misses a time hack, they cannot use the excuse they did not understand what time to join the meeting. You provided the local time for them!

Develop protocols establishing what information to communicate by what form of electronic means. For example, you have an employee flying cross-country to meet an important client. You may want to keep track of their travel. Decide ahead of time if you want them to send a text when they board and disembark from the plane, and arrive at the meeting. A quick SMS is all that is needed and is likely to be seen more quickly than an email. Phone calls may not be convenient as the traveler moves through the airport or tried to flag a cab. 

Alternatively, text messages, or other electronic media, probably are not the right form of communication, to deliver unexpected bad news such as, “You’re fired,” or, “The factory is burning down.” Even in today’s fast-paced digital world, nothing shows caring and compassion like in person, verbal communication for news like this. As a leader, building relationships is critical to achieving results. Showing compassion for other’s suffering goes a long way to building relationships that attains results.

On the other hand, a phone call followed by an email or text is probably the preferred method of communication to report the results of the communication, or as a reminder and answering questions. The call allows a discussion between the leader and the other person. The email serves as an enduring document memorializing the other person’s understanding. That email may be necessary to clear up confusion and misunderstanding later with others.

One of the problems with electronic communications is the ability to respond quickly. Quick responses are not always well reasoned, respectful responses. Probably everyone reading this has sent or received a hasty, poorly worded, disrespectful, angry response to another. In fact, many probably hit REPLY ALL so many people saw the judgement error. Think before hitting send. Like all ‘written’ communication, have a trusted person look it over to ensure you are using appropriate words. Make sure your position is logical. Provide information where the receiver can look for information that supports your position. Doing these things improves the likelihood your message will be received in the way you intended. It provides additional information from resources you cite without having to do all the research and typing. In turn, this allows the other person to become knowledgeable as well.

Electronic communication is fast, easy, and full of opportunities to be misunderstood. While electronic communications have increased since Bell made the first phone call and email became available to the masses 30 years ago, none of these means of communication are the right answer for every message. Electronic communication allows for quick responses, even if the original message is hours or days old. Compared to slower means of communication, using electronic communication exposes us to the risk of sending unskillful messages to influence them in a way we desire. Flaming someone is fast and easy. It puts someone in their place quickly. It also burns and causes injury to the relationship. Those wounds require more skill and time to heal compared to the skill and time required to compose and send a thoughtful, respectful, influential response in the first place. Use electronic communications well by learning the pros and cons of each. Know what messages are right for the media. Plan your message before hitting send, and your ability to provide appropriate leadership influence with others will grow.

References

Dans, E. (2021). Sometimes, a good old-fashioned phone call is more than enough. Forbes. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/enriquedans/2021/03/30/sometimes-a-good-old-fashioned-phone-call-is-more-than-enough/?sh=3988b0ee17c5. On 6/23/23

LinkedIn. (2023). How do you assess and develop your social media communication skills and competencies?. LinkedIn.com. Retrieved from: https://www.linkedin.com/advice/0/how-do-you-assess-develop-your-social-media-communication. On 6/23/23.

Su, J. (2021). How to write better emails at work. Ascend Business Communications Section. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/2021/08/how-to-write-better-emails-at-work. On 6/23/23

(c) 2023 Christopher St. Cyr

Other articles in this series:

The Three Pitch Rule Expanded: https://saintcyrtraining.com/2023/02/

Ten Ways for a Leader to Write Better: https://saintcyrtraining.com/2023/03/

Better Verbal Communication for Leaders: https://saintcyrtraining.com/2023/04/