Smart Phones Are Not As Smart As We Might Think - Put Face-To-Face Interaction Back Into Your Team

By Connie R Timpson

"I don't need anything but my smart phone. It is my office in my bag." Really? As I heard a client mouth the words I wanted to protest - so I did, kindly, with compassion for the device-addicted, and a defender of person-to-person communication.

Yes, smart phones have the immediacy of lightning. "They keep you connected." True, it is equally true that your office is never closed - NEVER.

And what are you missing while you are glued to this clever device? A LOT! Especially when it comes to communicating an idea.

You cannot read body language, or feel the sub-text of a message when it is only words on a screen. There is no vocal inflection to indicate the emotion behind the words, and unless you are using Skype, there is no facial expression to react to. Frequently that leads to misunderstandings.

Ever received an email that made you hopping mad, until you understood "what was really meant?"

You may have structured an argument for something that you fretted over, researched, perfected... and you got a one-word reply! We all communicate differently based on our personality temperament. The receiver may have thought the "one word" he or she used, covered everything in your email. You don't think so.

Taking a break during meetings rarely means "network" or exchange ideas, anymore. Instantly the Blackberry's, and I Phones appear. Check messages, send a text, but keep your eyes down. For the shy person - the smart phone is a dream come true, offering sanctioned behavior that wards off interaction with others.

Looking at words and symbols on a screen robs you of the opportunity to totally put the message in context. If you cannot see or hear other people, if you are not "experiencing" the situation, you could miss the whole intent of the message.

Face to face Communication Verses the Smart Phone:

Face-to-Face Communication

· Pros: Communicate more effectively with co-workers - face-to-face communication adds a contextual understanding. You hear tone of voice, read the body language and facial expressions.

Most of all it allows you to develop an open "dialogue" on which to build ideas, thoughts, and strengthen trust. (The other person cannot delete you before you are finished making your point!)

· Cons: Communicating face-to-face can make you shy, less able to organize your thoughts or arguments, and can cost you time

Smart PhoneCommunication

· Pros: Delivers your message in an instant, and saves time, reduces conversation that takes you off message.

· Cons: Leaves a lot of room for interpretation, or "misinterpretation." Gives the other person no immediate way to "dialogue" with you. No way to really interpret the meaning because you cannot read body language, hear tone of voice, or see facial expressions.

Solution: A Blend Of Both Forms Of Communication

Smart phones are smart, but you are smarter. Take control of your communication. You can exchange details in an email - or through your smart phone. But for your "ideas" sake, get everyone involved in the same room, at the same time, with smart phones switched OFF.

Face to face interaction spurs creativity and opens the flow of information to grow a little idea - into "the next big thing." Growing an idea is rarely a solo journey, a little help from colleagues takes the idea from a thought to a realistic possibility in a much shorter period of time, and one thought - always leads to another.

Where, and when the meeting will take place - can be communicated by your smart phones.

Connie Timpson is a performance coach, and facilitator who believes in one thing over all else - the client. Your needs and challenges are her priority.

Her background is varied, from coaching and training large groups to individuals. She is passionate about figuring out group-dynamics, bringing out the strengths of individuals, and building stronger teams. Her philosophy is simple, "Every human being is interesting, has a story to tell, a unique perspective, and brings strength, and individual gifts, to any team."

The basis of her life as a journalist guides her through life. People are Extraordinary!
connie@extraordinary-leaders.com, connie@qualityteambuilding.com,

Thank You: The Phrase That Too Many Managers Forget

By Arron Grow

If you search the phrase, "The Power of Thank You" on the Internet, you will find a number of articles on the topic of using Thank You. Aside from the interesting note that so many choose the same title to write about this topic, what's amazing to me is how often this common sense strategy (and I really hate to call it that) is not so commonly practiced. How do I know this? Aside from the number of articles on the topic, I have some personal experience in the area as well.

I regularly teach on the topic of influence through effective communication. I ask participants how many recall the last time they received a thank you for a specific something they had done on the job. Sadly, it's not uncommon that only 10 to 20 percent of those in the audience can recall this ever happening. That's just not right.

There are some managers, bad managers, who will openly say that employees don't need thanks - that their pay is their thanks. While its true that people work for wages, this doesn't mean that pay alone is the only thing managers should think to give. It is faulty thinking to believe that pay alone is sufficient. People take a job for the pay, they stay with the job for other reasons. Do you know the most common reason people leave a job? It's not the money. Not the job itself. Can you guess? Do the research. You will fine the most common reason cited for people quitting their job is because of a bad boss or immediate supervisor. Not paying heed to the personal-level matters, in all its many forms is the number 1 reason people leave their work. Can use of a simple thank you every now and then make the difference? Common sense says yes.

Now that we've established that you really SHOULD use thank you more than you probably do now, here are three tips to make your use of thank you more meaningful.

Specific

Just as more specific direction in job training will yield more accurate work, more specific compliments will have more meaning as well. As an example, which is likely to have a greater meaning, 'Nice job on the Robertson project' or 'Your attention to detail and completing the work ahead of schedule was noticed by several individuals in the executive office. Your work on this project reflects the best of the team and the company. Thank you for this exemplary effort.' Being specific in your thanks carries more weight.

Time Sensitive

What happens when you leave baked goods out for several days? Does it stay nice and fresh, or does it start to get a bit stale? We all know the answer to this. Baked goods left out gets stale. Similarly, a show of appreciation left unsaid too long can come across as somewhat stale also. Granted, the thank you will be better said than not regardless of how slow it is in coming. Still, logic alone should make it clear that the closer your thank you is to the event, the more sincerely your thanks will be received.

Hand-Written

In this, our digital age, its relatively easy to write and send a short message to almost anyone, anytime. While the message sent by email is well-intentioned, the very ease and speed with which this can be done via email lessens its impact. To counter this effect, write your thank you note by hand. I know from personal experience that messages written by hand have a greater impact. I know this because in the many office, and factory visits I've experienced, the ONLY thank you notes I have ever seen posted on employee walls are those that were hand written. Whenever possible, I will ask about thank you notes I see displayed. I will never forget the most poignant experience I had with this. The employee was an auto mechanic, probably in his mid 40s. The thank you note i saw was held by a magnet which pinned it to his tall rolling tool cabinet. I couldn't read what was inside. I just noticed that the outside said, "Thank You" in large letters - a pre-printed exterior. I asked about it. The mechanic stopped his work, stepped out from under the hood and said with a combination of pride and melancholy. "I was given that card by the first boss I had over 20 years ago. I had stayed late to finish the car for this one guy. I had no idea who the guy was, just that the guy was really hoping to have the car for the weekend, so I stayed late on a Thursday to make it possible." Turns out the guy was the owner of a local trucking company. My extra work led to my boss's shop getting a maintenance contract for the guy's fleet, and I got this thank you card." I replied how cool that was that his work had led to such a great win for the shop back then. His response to this was most sobering. He said, "I've never stopped going above and beyond for every customer I've ever served. So far, my boss back then seems to be the only one to have ever noticed."

As delighted as I am that my mechanic's first boss recognized the value of my his service, I'm saddened how 20 years can go by and this hard-working employee has yet to receive this simple recognition again. There are reasons why hand-written thank you notes get displayed. First, the fact that they are hand-written tends to suggest they are sincere messages. Second, (and sadly) a note of thanks seems to be so rare, that to receive one does indeed call for a public display. If you think saying thank you doesn't mean much, I strongly suggest you think again. For the good of your team members and for your organization, start saying thank you more often.

Arron Grow is the author of How to Not Suck as a Manager and Dean of Workplace Sanity Education for Workplace Sanity Group. Learn how to be a better team leader or give others this vital information. Get your copy of How to Not Suck as a Manager today.