Effective Communication vs. Over-Communicating

You know what you mean when you tell your team they need to over-communicate, but what happens when they do what you say?

How much time do you want to spend having longer conversations, sorting through more emails, wading through extraneous details to get to the point?

I know virtual environments and changing workplace landscapes have lots of people thinking over-communication is important to keep everyone informed, on the same page and in the loop.

The truth is, effective communication does all of those things, not over-communication.

It’s the difference between landing your message and diluting your message. Being efficient with your time versus spending way too much time dealing with interactions that amount to busywork.

As leaders be clear with your communication expectations. If you want your team to send a daily email with a five bullet points on what they accomplished that day, tell them that. If you want people to check in with you weekly say that. If you expect an email when they start a project or finish a project, make that clear. 

Workplace communication is not the space to test ingenuity, initiative or mind reading – especially when working remotely. 

 Your team can’t read the room and they can’t read your mind. Don’t leave it up to them to figure out what “over-communicating” means. 

If you want your team to send intentional and strategic emails introduce them to the E.T.A. approach to keep those interactions short and impactful. 

 Speaking of short and impactful messages... did you know that I can create a customized video series as a way to provide online training to your team? The videos range between 3-5 minutes long and allow team members who are Zoom'ed out, stressed out and spaced out to go at their own speed. For pricing and to inquire about options email: [email protected]