2D Communication in a 3D world

This has been a subject of debate recently on some of the discussion boards and online networking groups I'm a member of. How best to communicate in the 2D world of words – especially in electronic format – email, chat and text messaging.

You might think you know what you’ve said, but have you? The message you write isn’t necessarily the message that gets read by the other person. What you intended to say it isn’t necessarily what comes across.


A few simple guidelines:

• Be as professional in your 2D communication as you are in any area of your business, don’t use inappropriate language, shortening acronyms like BTW (by the way) or emoticons.

• DON’T SHOUT – using capitals is seen as shouting in the online world.

• Read through the message before you send it to make sure it makes sense and check your spelling, punctuation and grammar. Read it with fresh eyes not reading what you think you wrote. It can be a bit scary when you read back what you've sent to see what you actually wrote.

• Use email for simple, short communication. Long emails are hard to read and more likely to be ignored. If you have a lot to say - add it in an attachment and provide an overview in the email.

• Use emoticons (those cute little faces and expressions) sparingly. They can help to highlight amusement rather than sarcasm but leave them out of purely business communication.

• Be clear if you are expecting a response or specific action from an email.

• Don’t use complex formatting in emails, which will be unreadable. Not everyone receives email in HTML.

• When replying to an email – only include the relevant part of the previous message if it’s useful to the flow of the communication. Don’t automatically tag on all of the previous messages if they’re not needed.

• Also, don't automatically reply to everyone if it's not relevant.

• When sending an email to multiple users – don't use the cc field, use the bcc field – this way the email addresses aren’t seen by everyone else and could also be forwarded to third parties.

• Only cc relevant people on emails. Don’t blanket copy everyone unless they really need to see what you’ve said.

• Not everyone has high-speed connections or endless space in their mail systems – keep attachments as small as possible.

• NEVER forward virus warnings and chain-letters however convincing they are – www.breakthechain.org.

This is not a definitive list by any means and we don't expect to get it right all the time but a few simple things should avoid mis-understandings. If you have any of your own - add a comment.

If something important needs to be communicated – don’t leave it just to email or text.

Cabin fever

If you work from home, do you find it isolating?

Did you escape from the corporate world and start out on your own because you wanted a better lifestyle and the freedom and flexibility of working on your own? Are you now finding that you miss the office banter and a chat over coffee or at the water cooler?

More and more of us are working from home - which is great in one respect but it isn't always all it's cracked up to be. Here are a few ways to avoid 'cabin fever' as part of your work routine.

• Join an online networking group - this is great but it doesn't always take the place of face-to-face human contact.
• Attend local networking events - these are a good way to meet people and even develop a support system around your business.
• Start up your own network group and meet for a social coffee, lunch or evening drink.
• Use Skype and Messenger 'chat' functions to interact with others but use it in the same way you would take a break from work - don't get sucked in for hours!
• Put together your own R&D team or mastermind group - it could be friends, colleagues or people you collaborate with that you can ask for feedback on your ideas or products.

And, of course, don't forget to go out and have fun with your partner, friends and family at the end of a working day or at the end of the week.

Wouldn't it be great to have an environment where you can work on your businesses but get the benefits of a community, without the office politics? Here in the UK we have business centres, incubators for science/technology groups, where different businesses share an office and facilities but these can be an expensive solution. Something smaller and more low key would be ideal.

One technique I've developed, is to get together with a friend about once a week and we work together but on our own businesses - running it like an Integrity Day which makes us much more focused and efficient with the time we have available. We're also able to bounce ideas off each other and get feedback.

What do you do to break up your day and avoid cabin fever?

It could be worse - you could be working in a cubicle

Your Physical Environment

This is the ninth and final in a series of M.A.D. Moments based on different areas of your life to inspire you or give you that boost at the start of the year.

Spring definitely seems to have arrived here in the UK, we've had some lovely warm sunny days and now is a good time to think about this particular topic.

How do you currently feel about your physical environment?

• Do you have a clean and tidy office and home?
• Is your home a place you enjoy and look forward to spending time in?
• Are there things in your environment you’re tolerating (unfinished jobs)?
• Does your work environment inspire and motivate you?

Where we live and work can have a great influence on how we feel and how productive we are. If things aren’t as you want or need them you can get frustrated and de-motivated.

Particularly in your work environment, making sure that your office or wherever you work is a place where you can feel inspired and motivated, a place where you have everything around you that you need. You don’t need to work in a totally neat and uncluttered environment but if you’re always sifting through piles of paper to find things, lose things, have piles of unpaid bills or overdue accounts then perhaps you need to put some systems in place to get organised, become more productive and happier in your work.

What you come home to has an important effect on how you feel day to day. If you’ve got lots of unfinished jobs around the house or you’re not happy with where or how you live, look at what you could do to change it. Make sure you have a place where you can relax and unwind and take a few quiet moments to yourself – whether this is your living room, bedroom or even the garden.

This also applies to how you look and feel about yourself. Are your clothes neat, tidy and fit you well – no cupboard full of clothes you used to be able to get into or might ‘one day’. Is the physical environment of your body as you want it and as you want others to see you? If not, see my previous posts on Health.

Action:

What difference could you make to your Environment this week?

• Pick one outstanding task around the house and aim to do it by the end of the week – that long outstanding job. If there’s something about your home you’re not happy with – resolve this week to do something about it. Maybe you’ve been meaning to redecorate, get rid of an old piece of furniture, clear the clutter or treat yourself to something new. Do It.

• What do you have in your work environment that would make a difference to the way you work – perhaps getting rid of things you no longer use – bringing in simple things like organiser files, or trays and folders to sort your work. Have a clear space to work so you don’t feel overwhelmed by the things around you.

• Put things away after you’ve finished using them or that you don’t immediately need – this applies both to your office and around the house.

Little and often – whether it’s filing, cleaning or doing the garden – just a few minutes each day can make a big difference to your environment so that jobs don’t pile up and get out of hand. If you’d rather not clean the house on a regular basis or do the gardening – why not pay someone a couple of times a week to do it for you. Not only will it give you more time but you’ll be able to relax and enjoy it that much more.

Ask about joining in on one of my Integrity Days – a great way to get all those little tasks done or focus on your environment and clear that space once and for all.

How balanced is your life? Take the Life Assessment and see what difference you could make to your life right now.

Your Special Relationship

This is the eighth in a series of M.A.D. Moments based on different areas of your life to inspire you or give you that boost at the start of the year.

What does your special relationship mean to you?

• Are you happy and content with your partner or happy being single?
• Does your partner understand your wants and needs?
• Are you still hanging on to a past relationship?

Be honest, how good a relationship do you have with your partner? Do you spend as much time with them as you would like and are you able to spend quality time with them? We spend so much time rushing around and living in the day to day that perhaps we take each other for granted, just because they’re always there and things have become comfortable.

Learning how to talk and how to say what you feel is important in maintaining a good relationship with your partner. If you can’t tell someone how you feel, how can you expect them to know? They’re not a mind reader! Don’t let things build up or allow poor communication to result in misunderstandings. If you don’t like something, say so.

It’s also important that you retain a sense of yourself and that you both have time to spend with other friends and on interests outside of your relationship.


Action:

What difference could you make to your Special Relationship this week?

• Make a ‘date’ with your partner. Take time out to do something you both enjoy or do something for your partner. Spend time with the special person in your life. Not just the rushed catch-up as you get in from work but that ‘quality’ time.

• Make sure you’re able to sit and have a proper conversation with your partner on a regular basis. Set aside some time when you’re not going to be distracted or interrupted. Learn to say what you’re feeling and what you need or want from your partner and allow them to do the same.

• If you’re currently single, don’t worry. Make the most of the freedom and flexibility you have. Take the time to get to know yourself and do things you enjoy. Learn new skills, try new things. If you want to be in a relationship, get yourself sorted first, clear out any emotional baggage, develop a great relationship with yourself and then get ready for that new person to enter your life.

What can you do this week to improve your relationship?

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