The thin line between communicating effectively, and insinuating people....

Long before human communication turned into a science, it was an art. Eons earlier.

As with all arts, communication is full of nuances. The line between being effective in communication and enraging people is thin indeed. Once breached, the message sender loses something valuable- trust, respect. And once lost, they are seldom salvaged.

In my experiments for the last 21 years, I have learnt the following painful lessons out of erring constantly:

1. Whether the receiver is known or unknown to me, I need to show respect in all forms of communication-written, spoken, non-verbal
2. If I want to be heard, I don't need to yell, I can be soft...yet assertive
3. My point-of-view is of less value compared to the feedback I get 
4. In all transactions, I should aim to build trust and lasting relationships
5. Humor is powerful. It melts the hardest of hearts. But if misused or over-used, it's dangerous
6. Thumb rule for criticism: blame the System, not individuals
7. Never ask a question or pose a problem without a basic solution for it in my mind
8. Never should I show-off my literary prowess in messages. People are quite aware these days..everybody is good in English, Kannada, Hindi
9. I need to be appropriate in presentation. Propriety is everything
10. Credibility is like virginity. Once lost, it's never regained
11. My tone and tenor should be humble, requesting. No one likes to be ordered around. 'Please' is the most powerful word in English
12. I need to listen lots more. Through empathetic listening I communicate 1000 times better than talking non-stop.

Internet of Things (IOT) and things on the Internet….

Business Writing: A sample letter of Offer of Employment on Constract Basis

At the outset I am sorry for being dormant for such a long time and not posting any lessons. However, on popular demand from many of you - my dear dear students, I have posted a sample Letter of Appointment here that will give you some idea of what business letters are like:


The Printers Private Limited
Deccan Tribune
87, Mahatma Gandhi Road,
Bangalore - 560001

Mr. Sridhar Prasad Sachidananda
201, Hanathe, 4th C Main, III Block,
III Stage, Basaveshwaranagar,
Bangalore -560079

Dear Mr Sridhar Prasad Sachidananda,

Offer of Employment on a Contract Basis

We have pleasure in offering you employment as Senior Sub Editor/Reporter in our organization on contract basis for a period of one year, w.e.f January 10, 2004 to December 31, 2004 on the following terms and conditions:

1. Grade

You will be in Grade J-21 which is the grade for Sr. Sub Editor / Reporter and equivalent

2. Location

You will be stationed at out MG Road office, Bangalore, currently. However, you should be prepared to work at any of our offices in India and outside.

3. Pay scale and other benefits

a) You will be paid a basic pay of Rs 8455 (Rupees eight thousand four hundred and fifty five only) per month in the scale 6425-290-8455-380-11115-500-14115-500

b)You will also be entitled to House Rent Allowance as per the Award

c)You will be entitled to City Compensatory Allowance as per the Award

d) You will entitled to Dearness Allowance as per the Award

e)You will be entitled to medical expenses at the rate of one month's basic pay per annum provided you are not covered under the ESIC scheme

f) You will be entitled to other benefits such as Bonus as per the rules of the company that may in force from time to time

g)All the above benefits that you will be receiving at present are as per the enclosed annexure

4. Termination of Employment

Your services may be terminated by the company at any time without assigning any reason by giving one month's notice in writing or the payment of salary in lieu thereof. You may also leave the services of the company by giving one month's notice in writing.

5. Duties

Your duties will be allocated by the Management. You must be willing to perform any or all the roles, functions and duties of a journalist at all times as may be required. These may include all forms of publishing (books, periodicals etc.) broadcasting (radio, television, telephony etc.), Interactive media (World Wide Web, Internet etc.), archiving, information services , database managment and any other form of mass media communication, print, electronic, multi-media or any other format.

6.Leave

You will be entitled for the following leave, subject to change in the company rules from time to time:

Casual Leave : 15 days per annum

Privilage Leave : One day for every eleven days worked- entitlement

7.General

a) In addition to the terms and conditions stated above, you shall be subject to the service rules and regualtions and the rules and regulations as stipulated by the company's standing orders.

b)During the course of your employment you shall not engage in any business on your account or profession other than that of the company. You shall not participate in media activity like appearing on TV etc. to any one other than the company. You shall not engage directly or indirectly in other publications. You will carry out your duties diligently and promote the interest of the company alone. Breach on your part in these duties will entitle the company to terminate your employment immediately.

c)This appointment is subject to your being found medically fit.

If the above offer is acceptable to you, please return the duplicate copy of this letter duly signed in token of your acceptance.

If you fail to comply with any of the above terms and conditions, this offer stands cancelled.

For Printers Private Limted

Shanti Ramanathan

Director (HR)

I have read the above conditions and accept the same. I will be reporting for duty on or before ...................................

Date: Signature

Business Writing Basics (Lesson 6)

In writing for business there are more points to be noted. First, you need to avoid redundancy or use of unnecessary words and phrases. For egs:

• Signing both copies of the document is a necessary requirement
• Signing both copies of the document is necessary

• Combine both the chemicals together
• Combine both chemicals

A requirement is necessary by definition and both means together. Some redundancies are humorous: "Anybody who goes to a psychiatrist ought to have his head examined". A psychiatrist examines nothing but one's head. Try this for laughs: "We are open seven days a week including weekends". It is unnecessary to say advance planning when just planning will suffice or for that matter basic fundamentals or past history or repeat again.

Next avoid wordy expressions. Although wordy expressions are not necessarily errors, they slow down the pace of communication and make understanding complex. Try and substitute one word for a long phrase. For egs:

• In view of the fact that the prototype failed twice during the time we tested it, we are at this point searching for other options. (25 words)
• As the prototype failed twice, we are now searching for other options. (12 words)

Lard factor is the percentage of words saved by getting rid of the lard. In the above example the lard factor is 25-12=13; (13/25x100)=52%. Which means that we have used 52% less words in the second sentence.

Also avoid hidden verbs. A verb as we all know is an action word in a sentence that provides interest and forward movement. A hidden verb is a verb that has been converted into a noun thereby weakening its affect. For egs:

• The Head of the department said that he give consideration to my request for leave.
• The head of the department said he will consider my request for leave.

Notice that the second sentence is shorter and has more affect due to the use of a true verb--consider.

Here are some other examples of hidden verbs:

1. Arrived at the conclusion (Concluded)
2. Has a requirement for (Requires)
3. Came to an agreement (agreed)
4. Held a meeting(Met)

Avoid hidden subjects. Subject should stand out in a sentence and not be obscured by expletives. Expletives are expressions like "It is" and "there is" which the sentence begins with. For egs:

• There was no indication that it was necessary to include Sumita in the team
• There was no indication that Sumita should be included in the team

Imply or condense. It is unnecessary to state everything. Use adjectives and adverbs to imply and condense. For egs:

• This brochure which is free of charge and will give you all info.
• This free brochure will give all info.

Use positive language. For egs:

• We cannot ship the merchandise till we receive your payment.
• We will ship the merchandise when we receive your payment.

Cannot and Will not are not the only negative words. Mistake, damage, refuse, failure and the like are also negative words. For egs:

• We close at 8 pm on Fridays
• We are open until 8 pm on Fridays to enable you to shop after work.

Sometimes shifting to a subjunctive mood helps reduce to negative impact of an word. For egs:

• I cannot speak German.
• I wish I were able to speak German so that I could converse with you.
• I cannot release the names of the clients.
• Releasing the names of the clients would violate their right to privacy.

Business Writing Basics (Lesson 5)

Style is perhaps the most important aspect of Business writing. Style refers to effectiveness in the usage of words, paragraphs, sentences and overall tone of the message.

Words: Write them clearly. Prefer short simple words. Write with vigor. Write concisely. Prefer positive words to negative ones.
Sentences: Use a variety of sentences. Use active and passive voice appropriately.
Paragraphs: Keep paragraphs unified and coherent. Use parallel structure. Control para length.
Overall tone:Write confidently. Use courteous and sincere tone. Use appropriate emphasis and subordination. Use non-discriminatory language. Stress the 'you' attitude. Design your documents for readability.

Writing clearly: Be accurate. Be complete. Use familiar words. Avoid dangling expressions with misplaced modifiers and unclear antecedents.
For egs: Dr Mashalti gave a presentation of use of drugs in the auditorium (Were drugs used in the auditorium?).
Rather>>> Dr Mashalti gave a presentation in the auditorium on the use of drugs.
For egs: Sheela explained the proposal to Meena, she was not happy with it. (Who was not happy - Sheela or Meena?)
Rather>>> Sheela explained the proposal to Meena but Meena was not happy with it.

Prefer short, simple words: Here is a list of complex words and their short, simple alternatives:-

1. Endeavour>>>Try
2. Enumerate>>>List
3. Ascertain>>>Learn
4. Fluctuate>>>Vary
5. Indispensable>>>Vital
6. Initiate>>>Start
7. Modification>>>Change
8. Recapitulate>>>Review
9. Substantial>>>Large
10. Termination>>>End
11. Utilization>>>Use

The tip is : ''Write as you speak".

Write with Vigor: Use specific, concrete language.

For egs:

The vehicle broke down many times recently (vague?).

The pick up truck broke down 3 times this week (better?).

Avoid slang, cliches and buzz words: Slang is an expression, often short-lived, that is identified with a specific group of people. Not many in India understand American slang. Some examples of the slang are:

• Chewing one's head (Bothering with continuous small talk)
• Pay through your nose (pay a lot for something)
• Hate one's guts (Feel jealous of one's fearlessness)
• Zonked out (Pass out due to exhaustion)
• Hit off well (Get along famously with one another)

A cliche' is a word or a phrase that has lost its charm due to overuse. Some egs:

• For your information
• Further to our telecon
• Please be advised that
• Needless to say
• Last but not the least

A buzz word is an important sounding word used with the sole purpose of impressing people. Some egs:

• Paradigm shift
• Impact
• Interface
• Bottom line
• Vision statement
• User-friendly
• Ball park figure.

Ask questions about this topic by adding comments to this post.

Business Meetings (Lesson 4)

Much of the talking and listening in business place will be in the context of meetings. Business meetings provide cohesiveness and unity of purpose. They help in resolving issues and making decisions. They also help in informing the group members of their duties and tasks. Over 20 million meetings take place in America each day. An average executive spends an average 3 hours a work day in meetings according to a MCI WorldCom Conferencing research. No wonder office goers complain "Meetingitis" has become a plague in the USA -- an occasion for a group of people to take minutes and waste hours. But this happens in the absence of managerial skill. It happens when a meeting begins and closes without an agenda set in advance. Your ability as a manager is judged by how you run a meeting.

Planning the meeting

Identifying your purpose: The more focused your purpose, the more effective the meeting. "Making communication more effective among executives" is a vague agenda. "Should we buy cell phones for all executives?" is a better agenda to meet. But first decide if you NEED to meet. If only two people are going to participate in the meeting then a call or a mail will suffice. It saves cost and time.
Preparing an agenda: Remember to write down the agenda and circulate it well in advance. An agenda or a list of topics to discuss in the meeting helps you prepare for the discussion and stay focused on the plan and course of the meeting. Typically and agenda reads like this:

1. Call to order
2. Roll call
3. Reading and approving minutes of the previous meeting
4. Reports of officers of standing committees
5. Reports of special committees
6. Old business
7. New business
8. Announcements
9. Program
10. Adjournment

Each topic could have a sub-agenda. For eg: New Business-- (1) November press conference (2) Purchase of laptops for senior management (3) Status of remodeling -- Anushka Ravishankar

Everyone at a meeting should have specific reason for being there. All those who can contribute to the resolution of the meeting HAVE to attend. But it is better to keep the numbers small and manageable. Also plan the logistics well. A three hour meeting in uncomfortable chairs in a stuffy room with no air-conditioning may exhaust the members physically and mentally. Punctuality has to be stressed- meetings should begin and end on time. This conveys the message to chronic late comers that decisions will be taken in their absence if they are late. Stick to the agenda as far as possible. But to allow any discussion not on the agenda is prerogative of the leader. It would be wise to allow such discussions if they are directly related to resolution of the problem at hand.

Leading the meeting: Begin the meeting with a statement of purpose and agenda overview. As it progresses, keep time. Encourage quiet members to speak and stop those who ramble with --" I see your point. Now lets move on to the next item". If time permits strategies like brainstorming and role playing could be employed to reach a solution. But for most topics a simple discussion would suffice. To resolve a conflict, state the facts first and diffuse the tension. Then ensure that everyone who is arguing is heard and his position is understood. At the end, summarize what was decided, what are the next steps. Review the assignments to various members. Get an assistant to keep the minutes and circulate it after the meeting. The minutes should be recorded with bias (simply who said what). Every motion has to be seconded and voted for either through a secret ballot or a show of hands. Ensure that the conduct of the meeting follows procedure and decorum. Bickering and philibustering (not allowing others to speak by endlessly rambling on and on and wasting precious time) should be dealt with a admonishment immediately.

Ask your doubts by adding comments to this post ......

Communicating in work teams (Lesson 3)

A team is a group of individuals who depend on each other and work to achieve a common goal. Teams are often superior to individuals as they are more creative, have more information and more interpersonal communication dynamics. A team's contribution often exceeds the sum of the individuals contribution in a business environment. However there is a danger of teams wasting time through 'social loafing' or avoiding individual responsibilities on the pretext that someone else in the group will do it.
Variables of group communication: Conflict, conformity and consensus are the three variables of group dynamics.
Conflict is generally misunderstood as a deterrent and counterproductive in group behaviour. However, conflict is an essential part of team dynamics and call resolve issues through debates and testing of ideas before they are implemented. Every one's point of view is to be heard before consensus is reached. If the group does not exhibit conflict there is very little use for them to be together, they may as well achieve individually.
Conformity is agreement with regard to rules, ideas and principles. Members can disagree on issues but there has to be conformity on fundamental principles as to how the group should operate. Though cohesiveness and conformity are a must for group dynamics, too much of stress on unity can result in what is called Groupthink which is a communication barrier resulting in the stifling of ideas and opposing points of view which enrich the body of information that the group produces. The pressure to unite may become so great that negative information is not discussed and questioned. Thus the group loses perspectives arising out of conflict. Conflict therefore is a pre-requisite to collaboration.
Consensus means reaching a solution acceptable to all in the group, that which best reflects the thinking of all the members. Consensus should be supported by all members. Consensus is not a majority vote or even a unanimous vote it is the collective thinking of the group. Productivity of the group is the highest at the point where conformity peaks and falls as the Groupthink increases.
Feedback: Giving feedback is essential to any group process. When giving feedback some points are to be noted: (a) It should always be constructive (b) Give both positive and negative feedback. People assume that feedback is given only when problems arise. This is not true. Positive feedback helps inspire and encourage team performance. In learning how to give feedback note these two aspects:

• Be descriptive. Relate objectively what you saw and heard. More recent the better and be specific.
• Avoid using labels. Words like undependable, unprofessional, irresponsible are labels we attach to behaviours. Drop the label and describe the behaviour itself. Whenever feedback is given pause for the receiver to respond. Let there be a discussion rather than a discourse.
• Don't exaggerate. Don't say things like you are "always" late for meetings. This maybe untrue and unfair.
• Speak for yourself. Don't speak for anyone else and don't refer to absent persons.
• Use "I" statements. Instead of saying " You are late for meetings"; say -- " I get annoyed when you are late". "I" statements create an adult-peer relationship.

To minimise conflict in a group that is not productive. The group has to mingle before the meeting and members should get to know each other personally so that they can support each other's point of view objectively and oppose without fear. Consider each problem as a group problem -don't make a scapegoat of one member. For eg: " We would be done with meeting if Rekha had finished her task in time". Rarely is a single member responsible for the failure of a group process. As every role is a function of the individual personality and the group personality, thinking in terms of the group is a must for resolution of conflict. While making comments be realistic and goal-oriented, factual and constructive. When the atmosphere becomes tense diffuse the tension with a light-hearted comment or a joke. Restore harmony in a fighting group as soon as possible. Discussing is not the same as arguing.

There is an ethical dimension to accepting membership to a team. The team's needs, aspirations, goals and gain are put before personal gain. The attitude should be-- "I don't care who gets the credit as long as we achieve our team goal together". Finally each member has the duty to promote the team's welfare. "One for all and all for one" is the motto. However this varies much in different cultures. In the USA and Canada individual achievements are put before group achievements. This sometimes creates competition and bickering. In Japan however " a standing nail is hammered down". Meaning group consensus is a must for all action. Japanese insist that a majority consensus is not enough. Every member of the group HAS to agree before action is initiated. This takes time and effort.

Finally there are 4 strategies for communicating effectively in a group:

1. Maintain formality
2. Show respect
3. Communicate clearly (avoid slang, jargon)
4. Value diversity

Ask your doubts by adding comments to this post......