Communication – it’s much easier said that done

By Clare Gascoigne
Trust is key in an open organization.
Getting staff to talk to each other ought to be the least of your problems, but internal
communication can be one of the hardest nuts to crack in business.
Communication come up in every department. The repercussions of not
communicating are vast, says Theo Theobald, co-author of Shut up and Listen! The Truth
About How to Communicate at Work.
Poor communication can be a purely practical problem. Gearbulk, a global shipping
business with branches around the world, faced language and geographical difficulties, as
well as huge amount of paperwork. With up to 60 documents per cargo, it was a logistical
nightmare to track and monitor jobs, while tighter security regulations after 9/11 meant
customs documents had to be ready before a ship was allowed to sail.
Installing an automated system means data is now entered only once but can be
accessed by anyone in the company, wherever they are.
“Reporting is faster by a matter of months”, says Ramon Ferrer, Vice President of
Global IT at Gearbulk. “An operational team carrying a voyage all the way across the
world doesn’t always have to be talking to each other – and we don’t waste time
duplicating the same information.”
Given today’s variety of communication tools, it seems strange that we still have a
problem communicating. But the brave new world of high-tech can create barriers –
senior managers hide behind their computers, staff use voice mail to screen calls, and
employees setting next to each other will send e-mails rather than speak.
“Managers should get up, walk round the office and talk to people” says Matt
Rogan, Head of “Marketing at Lane”, a leadership and communications consultancy.
“Face-to-face communication can be beaten”.
 Theobald recommends checking e-mail only three times a day, allocating a set
period of time to deal with it. “If you leave the sound on the temptation is as great as a
ringing phone. People will interrupt meeting to check their e-mails”.
Another problem is simply hitting the “reply all” button bombarding people with
information. “We had unstructured data coming at staff from left, right and centre,
leaving it up to individuals to sort out”, says Gearbulk’s Ferrer. “Our new system has
reduced e-mails and changed the way people work. It will remind you about work flow”.
Information overload also means people stop listening. But their may be a deeper
reason why a massage fails to get through, according to Alex Haslam, Professor of
Psychology at Exeter University.
“Everyone thinks a failure to communicate is just an individual’s error of judgment,
but it’s not about the person: it’s about the group and the group dynamics”, he says. “Just
training people to be good communicators isn’t the issue”.
The problem is that employees develop common loyalties that are far stronger than
the need to share information. This can even extend to questions of safety.
“In the mid-1990s there were a lot of light air crashes in Australia because the two
government departments responsible for air safety weren’t communicating”, says
Haslam. “The government was trying to save money and both groups felt threatened. The
individuals were highly identified with their own organization and unwilling to
communicate with the other department.”
A company is particularly at risk when cost-cutting is in the air. Individuals
withdraw into departmental loyalties out of fear. Sending such people on yet another
“how to communicate” course will be pointless. Instead, Haslam believes that identifying
the subgroups within on organization and making sure each group feels valued and
respected can do far more to encourage the sharing of information. The key to
communication, he says, is trust.
From the Financial Times
A. Read the article and answer these questions (3 marks)
1. What communication problems did Gearbulk have?
2. How did Gearbulk overcome the problems?
3. What solutions does Theobald recommend for the above problems?
4. According to the aurthor, why does staff often send too many e-mail?
5. Why weren’t the two government departments (responsible for all air safety)
communicating?
6. What does the author think about sending people on communication courses?
B. True and False questions (2 marks)
1. People still listen even information overload.
2. Gearbulk, a global shipping business with branches around the world, faced huge
amount of paperwork because of language and geographical difficulties.
3. Hitting the “reply all” button in the email will bombard people with information.
4. New world of high-tech can create poor communication – senior managers hide
behind their computers, staff use voice mail to screen calls.
C. Construct the sentences by using the words below (2 marks)
1. Subordinate
2. Evaluate
3. Criticize
4. Diversify
D. Fill in the blank with the following words (2 marks)
Event …… is about creating tactile engagements where people can feel, touch, taste,
and experience the brand face-to-face rather than simply reading about or watching it.
Red Bull doesn’t just ….. an event—it is the event. The ….. experience is often as much
of the story as the event itself. Through smart event marketing, Red Bull has given its…..
—and itself—new wings and a big shot of…... As one observer puts it, Red Bull is the
“mother of all event…..”
Marketing, sponsor, brand, energy, marketer, customers
E. Summarize the reading within 5 - 7 sentences (1 mark)