communication can cause as much chaos as a game of Chinese Whispers, unless great care is taken in how you pass on messages.
Of all the ways that we communicate, only 20 per cent is verbal or written and 80 per cent is non-verbal, made up of voice tone, body language, facial expression and other visual images. When these are missing, in written or third-party communications, this leaves a gaping hole for misinterpretation.
For effective messages, take the following steps:
* Be clear about your purpose and communicate it
* Explain what you want the person receiving it to do
* Explain the benefits of responding as requested
* Establish credibility and show respect for the reader/listener
* Choose an appropriate method.
A Wall Street Journal survey (1995) found, 'The biggest problem with written messages was lack of organisation, followed by poor spelling and capitalisation, grammar and punctuation (eg, I need six foot-long rods or I need six-foot long rods), misused words (eg, to, too, two; affect, effect; accept, except etc) and repetitive instructions or thoughts. Next came weasel words (eg, 'I would be pleased if...' instead of 'Please will you...'), long paragraphs and long sentences, both of which encourage the reader to abandon reading.'
Memos and notes
Memorandum is a Latin word meaning 'what must be remembered'. Prevent essential memos going astray by pinning them folded-up, on a message board, with the addressee's details clearly visible. If a message is removed, it is delivered and if it remains, it isn't. But getting it there is just part of the task.
Scruffy handwriting can distort the message and annoy the reader. Memos should deal with only one subject, cover no more than one side of A4 and have good space between paragraphs.
E-mailing
Check e-mail status with your intended recipient, especially asking how frequently they use it. Free e-mail accounts have limited capacity and you won't be notified if a message sent has been rejected, while a wrongly spelled addressee can signal days of delay even in a commercial network.
E-mails can come across to the recipient as terse, so avoid humour or make humour clearer by adding (humour intended). Take care with your spelling.
Punctuation and grammar don't have to be perfect, but must be unambiguous and respectful of the reader. Don't use words or phrases you aren't familiar with. E-mails may be a quick way to communicate but always read through a message before sending it.
Phone answering services
Recorded phone messages can't be relied upon to reach the intended recipient, so only use them in tandem with another method, as a response to their request to call them, or your request for them to call you. Plan your message ideally to be 15-30 seconds long, and begin with your name and 'The reason I am calling is...' Let the recipient know what you want and need from them, taking particular care about pronouncing letters 'f' and 's', word endings and your name
Moderate the volume of your voice - too loud and it will be irritating, too soft and your voice will not be heard. Your tone is very important to help keep the message in context, so try to put energy and warmth into your voice. End the message by giving your own phone number, speak slowly and say it twice.
Text messaging An estimated 30 billion text messages will be sent in 2005 and 43 per cent of these will be 'spam'. To distinguish your message from commercially generated advertising, use the recipient's name immediately. It seems obvious to say it, but remember that text messaging works only if the recipient's phone is connected, charged and paid up and the networks are clear. Delays are common under any circumstances, so set your own mobile phone to collect a delivery receipt.
Text messaging is a friendly way to send reminders and minor news, but ineffective for urgent or important announcements.
Communication overload From time to time we find ourselves having to think quickly while being bombarded with information. For example, when a child arrived at playscheme clearly suffering from chickenpox, the manager had to contact the parent, remove a pregnant playworker from contact, notify it as a communicable disease, write to all other parents, and notify Social Services of the neglect of the child's needs.
The manager sought help from her staff and from an off-duty colleague, establishing formally with each of them that she was the leader in this matter. Each took a task and reported progress to her. She asked her colleagues' advice, but all decisions were made by her. There was no confusion about where information was pooled or what to do with it. This demonstrates the importance of deciding who the link person will be early on.
How to act When communicating, think who your message is going to and act accordingly:
* Check if you have a person in your organisation whom most messages go to.
If this is the case, regularly circulate a list of key roles and direct contact details, and encourage 'express' communications to spread the load where possible.
* Remember, when talking to people who are under continual pressure, 'urgent' could mean a fortnight.
* Special needs, such as English as a second language, dyslexia, visual or hearing impairment, require special attention when communicating messages and take longer.
* Receptionists and people who pass on messages are in a powerful position.
If you think such a position is being abused, act on your instincts. If the person is employed by you, bring it up as a competency issue. If they work in a different organisation, go above them and explain why you have done so.
* Some people will blame others for an error, omission or delay that they themselves have generated. Always follow it up and think of such incidents as system testers.
* When things go awry, don't act unless you can obtain and provide communications in writing, or hold a time-bound tape-recorded meeting to establish the facts.
Third parties Out-of-school projects are teeming with folk willing to pass on messages, such as, 'Harry's mum asked me to tell you that Harry is swapping Wednesday for Thursday this week.'
Stamp out these 'mission accomplished' incidents by immediately ringing the offender in the presence of the messenger and hand out your telephone number (again), so that everyone knows. If Harry's mum is unavailable, ask her friend to relay your apologies and say that you can only act on direct contact.
Beware of employees who choose to act as unofficial messengers to highlight their own importance. As tempting as it is to overlook this, the longer the practice continues, the more damaging it becomes when it inevitably goes wrong. Recognise, too, that if staff regularly pass on money on behalf of parents, sooner or later someone will use the circumstances to steal.
A gentle review of your communications arrangements could help conserve hundreds of wasted hours and avoid heartache and delays. Develop the habit of including all information and questions in brief, unambiguous terms, and you're set for communication success first time every time.
Jackie Nunns is a founding member and director of the Trojans scheme, a charity running out-of-school services in south London
Top tips
* In typed communications, Arial font in 12 point size is probably the most comfortable to read and the best for those with visual impairment. To any readers, BLOCK CAPITALS FEEL LIKE SHOUTING while small text can make them suspicious they're being cheated.
* Follow up all important e-mail or faxes to check they have arrived safely, and help to get priority attention for them.
* Planned phone calls take about seven minutes and unplanned ones 12 minutes. Create a bullet-point guide before calling and if the recipient is not available, use it for your message.
Recommended reading
* Eats, Shoots & Leaves:the Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss (ISBN: 1861976127). Available for 6.99 from Amazon.co.uk.
* Visit Online Writing Lab (OWL) for free guidance on Business Writing Issues, letters, memos, reports, e-mail etiquette and more http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts.
