WHITE PAPER: COMMUNICATION IS KING
We’ve all heard the phrase “Communication Is King” and it’s even one of our Core Values here at Global Interconnect. Our communication policy is “be thoughtful, thorough, complete and effective.” I’d say it’s obvious that effective communication is important in all relationships. In my position as Director of Program Management, handling all aspects of a customer’s account, effective communication is essential in ensuring expectations and requirements are fully understood and met to the best of my ability.
Given that so much of today’s business communication is through e-mail and conference calls, I wanted to take a closer look at what skills make a good communicator and how to improve those skills. The various types of communication are fairly obvious: written, verbal, and non-verbal (body language). Interestingly, however, as I started to read more articles on this topic, a consistent theme was that to be an effective communicator, you have to be a good, if not great, listener. I certainly think that for the most part, listening is a forgotten piece of the communication puzzle. I heard a radio personality say the other day “listening is something most people just aren’t good at.” The more I thought about this statement, the more I agreed and thought that listening is a “skill” that has gone by the wayside, particularly in today’s fast paced environment.
We have all been taught that verbal and written communication is extremely key, that is being clear and concise when sharing and exchanging thoughts and ideas. However, what seems to be forgotten is that to communicate well, we must listen first and listen well. Why is listening so important? If we don’t listen, then how do we truly comprehend the other party’s needs, requirements and concerns? Listening also demonstrates respect in a relationship, business wise or other, and an understanding that communication is most certainly a two-way street. As I continued reading on this subject, a constant point was that good listening is not just about hearing but it’s also being truly engaged as a listener. Tips for becoming an active/engaged listener suggested in the article “Effective Communication- HelpGuide.org” are: “Focus fully on the speaker, avoid interrupting, ask clarifying questions and provide feedback once the speaker is done.” Another good tip for being an active listener is “to rephrase what has been said” so that there is little chance of a misunderstanding. I believe these are all good points to remember and can be beneficial to us all.
Our entire team at Global Interconnect continuously practices new ways of being better communicators and listeners, as it’s truly a key to being successful. We stress the importance of good communication with our customers, whether it’s by picking up the phone instead of sending an email or using our Zoom Video Communications platform to reach customers all over the world, as well as internally through processes that focus on being open and transparent throughout a product life cycle. We always strive to improve every aspect of what we do here at GII and hopefully, with more engaged and active listening, our personal and business relationships can be enhanced, because we’ll ultimately be better communicators.
Now anyone who knows me understands that I love to talk, but I’ve got to remind myself that good communication involves much more than that. In order to embrace our communication policy and focus on being “thoughtful, thorough, complete and effective,” we need to open our ears, and listen…. really listen.