"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)

Communications

“The medium is the message.”

Marshall MacLuhan

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)