Struggling to communicate? – TALK to each other!

By Jerry Kranitz (October 16, 2024)

True story: For 28 years I worked in the technology division of a major credit reporting agency. Each week I participated in meetings to review project statuses and highlight obstacles team members faced. This was pre-COVID when we still worked in the office.

A question came up that fell to Don. Don said he was dependent on Jim for information to answer the question. Don took an action item to email Jim and would report back the following week.

At the next meeting the topic came up again. Don said he hadn’t received a reply from Jim but had sent a follow up email that morning.

Note: We all worked in the same building.

The following week the topic came up again. Don said to save his life he just could not get Jim to respond to his emails. I then chimed in to say I spoke with Jim and got the answer, which I gave to the group. Don was incredulous. “I’ve been emailing Jim for three weeks with no response! How did you get an answer?” My response: “I walked over to his office and asked him.”

Email – Confusion and miscommunication await

Jim’s lack of response is only one of the pitfalls of overly depending on email. When I went to Jim’s office, he was only too happy to stop what he was doing and answer my question. When I mentioned Don’s emails Jim conceded he had seen them but was so bombarded he felt like a juggler.

Don’t get me wrong, email is an indispensable tool. So is the internal chat system we had in our organization.

When COVID hit, our company sent us home and we never went back. We became reliant on email and chat like never before. Webex became the mechanism for face-to-face meetings.

The problem is, and I’ll be blunt: Too many people fall far short of effectively communicating in emails. In olden times, the process of writing or typing letters encouraged thought. This is in sharp contrast to banging out emails or texting on a smart phone, which people have learned to take for granted.

In a professional setting, miscommunication in emails can have serious consequences: Improperly defined project requirements, missed action items, and a general lack of clarity. All this can lead to seemingly endless email exchanges.

As a communication 101 tutorial on the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services web site summarizes:

• Communication is defined as the act of giving, receiving, or exchanging information, ideas, and opinion so that the “message” is understood by both parties.
• Communication is said to be successful only when the sender and the receiver perceive the information in the same way.

Nailed it! It doesn’t get more succinct than that.

More examples

To be clear: My colleagues were among the most talented anyone could hope for. An absolute dream team. But communication seemed to be an ongoing struggle. Do any of these examples sound familiar to you?

Lack of clarity (i.e., Rambling)

As our Solutions Architect, Bob stood alone. He could talk with the business about their needs, and then brainstorm technical ideas with our team. But when describing the problem and his proposed solutions, it was often necessary to drag specifics out of him.

For example, I would email Bob asking the status of a project. What was left to complete requirements so development could begin? Was he blocked by anything he was waiting on from others?

Depending on the project and status, Bob’s response could be a detailed run on paragraph that I didn’t understand. And I knew the team members I copied couldn’t possibly understand either.

The solution? I would get Bob on a call to talk through his response, and then zero him in on the nitty gritty information I needed. I would then summarize my understanding. Once he agreed that I understood him correctly, I would reply-to-all clarifying Bob’s response. Cumbersome, frustrating, but we were buried in time sensitive projects and accurate information was essential.

Julie Geske-Peer of Peer Performance Solutions emphasizes the importance of speaking directly:

“Falling somewhere in the middle of a face-to-face meeting and an email message is communication over the phone. Phone conversations are more personal than emails and allow the other party to ask clarifying questions immediately.”

The cascading loop of emails

Another common scenario was Quality Assurance Analysts testing enhancements and bug fixes. The analyst would email a question to the developer or Business Systems Analyst. Sometimes the email included detailed testing steps and screen shots. The analyst would get a response, which might be a request for clarity, or even a response that the analyst didn’t fully understand.

And now they’re off to the races! Emails flying back and forth until one of the following occurs:

• Misunderstanding leads to implementing an incorrect solution
• Somebody eventually throws in the towel and schedules a call to discuss

Forever chat messaging

Chat is fantastic for quickie exchanges. But it’s a black hole for detailed communication. It never ceased to amaze me how long people would type on chat instead of getting on the phone.

A common scenario occurred during code implementation checkouts. All the Operations personnel moving the code, Quality Assurance Analysts performing the checkout, and developers available for support would be on a Webex call.

If a Quality Assurance Analyst found an issue, they would send a chat message. This made sense for sharing examples that needed to be researched. But they would stick to the back and forth of typing on chat.

There were multiple times I got annoyed and spoke up to kick start an actual discussion. And sure enough, once actually talking to one another, everyone immediately cut to the chase and got the question answered or issue resolved. Production implementations have a hard Go/No-Go deadline for completion. They are TIME sensitive!

When to talk – The Golden Rule

Three emails and… DONE

Use your judgment based on each situation, but when I see three emails exchanged and clarity still lacking, it’s time to get on the phone.

Once chat becomes a conversation… DONE

Ditto for chat. If I’ve traded three messages with someone and we’re still not in sync, it’s time to get on the phone.

Similarly, if someone is typing more than a couple lines, then chat is not the mechanism for communication and it’s time to get on the phone.

Over to YOU!

I always want to be judicious about people’s time. But trading emails due to lack of clarity only perpetuates further emails, confusion, and wasted time.

A quick call can cut right to the chase because people are now TALKING to each other!

Keep this in mind in your own communications. Is an email or chat exchange resulting in effective communication? Or is it time to rally the troops and get on a call?