Using New Communication Technologies in the Workplace How to Overcome the "Work-Day" Communication Blues Matt Tarentino, Dan Ticker & Stephanie Yonus
Introduction - Why Business Need Technology
The introduction of new technologies into the everyday lives of human beings has had considerable effects on both private and public life. Great advancements in communication technology have served to unite the world as a global community and allow for incredible increases in the ease of sending and receiving messages.
The workplace has also seen the benefits of enhanced communication technologies. The fast-paced world of business communication requires constant connectivity and innovative services that can deliver client information quickly and accurately. One need only make a casual observation of any Fortune 500 company and it would become immediately apparent that the success of that company in the 21st Century is due to it's efficient implementation of communication technology.
In the modern world, however, it is not sufficient for a business to merely possess the capability to utilize new technology - it must know how to correctly deploy these technologies throughout the workplace. Even if employees have the technologies they need to communicate, a failure to know how to use them can have a more negative impact on the business culture than a complete lack of technology at all.
If you're looking for innovative ways to introduce new technology into your current business model or use the technologies your business has already integrated - then you've come to the right place! This Wiki will give straight-forward, concrete examples of the best ways to use the most popular new technologies to make communication technology work for your and cure the "work-day communication blues."
E-Mail
Using e-mail to communicate has rapidly become the most common form of communication in the workplace. In an instant, individuals can communicate effectively and efficiently whether they are working in the same building or in a different country. Using e-mail, individuals can exchange information, documents, spreadsheets, and many more at very little cost to the organization.
Even though it is the primary source of contact, there are still come common mistakes people make when communicating via e-mail. Some ways to maximize the flow of communication via e-mail are:
Start with the end in mind: What message do you want the reader to remember or walk away with?
While there is no way to forge an interpersonal exchange, a message that requires face-to-face communication could be made effective if the individual maximizes his or her resources. There are some messages that simply aren’t appropriate for using computer mediated communication. However, when it is used the right way, e-mail is undoubtedly one of the best tools for quick and efficient communication. It has been shown that groups using such technologies to perform tasks have had productive outcomes. Mediated communication produces more “equal member participation” than some face-to-face situations (Walther). This is attributed to an individual’s status in the workplace and a tendency to feel less comfortable projecting one’s ideas in person.
Peter Steiner.Published by The New Yorker on July 5, 1993
Instant Messaging
Instant messaging (IM) has existed in a consumer format since the 1990s, yet it is one of the most enduring computer-based communication technologies and has undergone considerable reformatting and revision as new mediated technologies have surfaced throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Thus, IM is one of the most convenient and adaptable workplace communication tools. Below is a short list of the benefits of IM services:
Virtually free!
No new hardware - just download a program or visit a website
No effect on your bottom line!
Tons of options
Every IM service offers some slightly different features to best suite your business's daily communication needs
Portable
As long as a computer as an IM program installed, your employees and clients are connected
Most IM clients are even available on your favorite smartphone / Blackberry - your employees are always within reach
Instant Communication
IM is instantaneous communication - all at your fingertips!
See when your co-workers are on-line, see when they are typing
An All-In-One Communication hub
Send files instantly - with confirmation of receipt
Video chat / audio chat - all from within the same program
There are a wide variety of free IM services that your business can utilize for internal communication amongst employees. The chart below highlights the most popular providers. For external communication with clients or other businesses that might use Instant Messaging, a multi-platform IM service such as Trillian will aggregate all an employee's IM services to allow for seamless communication with a wide variety of individuals. Trillian can be downloaded from Trillian's Product Page.
Is IM really effective?
As a business owner or manager, you may be asking yourself: "If my employees are always connected to each other, won't that present more distractions and decrease productivity?" As recent study conducted by the University of California suggests otherwise. The study found that:
IM is often used as substitute for more involved communication methods (such as an actual face-to-face conversation)
IM is more direct - thus wasting less time
Employees feel that they are being interrupted less frequently
Co-workers can check each other's status - everyone knows who's doing what and who is busy
Ease of use makes IM very easily integrated into an existing organization's daily routine
A link to an article discussing this study can be found here.
Still on the fence? Check out the following video to see what Instant Messaging can do for your business -->
Can my employees really communicate over IM?
Yes! But keep in mine Instant Messaging is not a communication panacea! Careful use of IM, just like any technology, is what fuels effective integration. There is often concern within the management team of a business about to adopt IM or reevaluate their IM policies that peer-to-peer messaging is not "rich" enough to communicate the required amount of information to complete a task. Just remember: IM is not a substitute for face-to-face communication, however, it is a great supplement. Daily tasks, simple questions, and out-of-the-office communication can be handling much more effectively over an IM-based system. This saves time and those precious extra minutes of productivity.
Here are some rules for both employees and managers that will help business streamline the use Instant Messaging:
Check your company's policy on downloading IM software: Some companies offer instant messaging to all employees, but most do not yet automatically provide this kind of software. While most instant messaging software is free, you still need to download it onto your system.
Use caution: Like other forms of electronic communication, instant message conversations can be monitored by employers, are saved in computer systems, and can be retrieved.
Be aware of viruses and other security risks: Most instant messaging services enable you to send files with your messages. Again, like any other form of electronic communication, be aware of the risks involved. Just like e-mail, you should never open attachments that come from someone you do not know or that are unfamiliar to you.
Use your status options: Instant messaging programs allow you to tell others what your "status" is. This means you can label yourself as "online," or available to talk, or let others know when you are "busy."
Be respectful of others' time: Respecting your colleagues' status options is as important as using yours. If you see that someone has listed their status as "busy," honor that person's wishes and don't try to start an IM conversation.
Be responsible: The reason many companies are wary of IM programs is the tendency of employees to use them for personal rather than business purposes.
Video Conferencing is an easy and inexpensive way for colleagues from different parts of the world to have virtual meetings. Using audio and video and/or text, it is as close as a person can get to a face-to-face meeting. There are many ways to use this feature including Skype , iChat, and ooVoo.
Some even argue that the future of the workplace isn’t even at work; it can be from anywhere you are. Using this feature, it is possible to do just about anything from anywhere you are: “post-geographic working”.
To use this feature, users will only need a few things:
Video input: video camera or webcam.
Video output: computer monitor , television or projector.
Audio input: microphones, CD/DVD player, cassette player, or any other source of PreAmp audio outlet.
Audio output: usually loudspeakers associated with the display device or telephone.
Data transfer: analog or digital telephone network, LAN or Internet. [1]
Video conferencing, as opposed to videophone calls, is intended for multiple users. Businesses choose this method of communication to easily "meet" with members of the organization who are in a different location, or even in a different country. Video conferencing cuts travel and time costs dramatically, so for businesses with multiple locations, using this technology is an obvious choice.
The following video shows how simple video conferencing can be:
There are some purists who believe mediated forms of communication can never replace face-to-face interactions. While this may be true, technology is moving fast and it is up to businesses to stay informed and up to date on cutting edge and cost-effective ways to communicate.
Power Point
Microsoft PowerPoint or PowerPoint is a presentation program that is usually referenced to as a, slide projector. These slides may contain text, graphics, movies, and other objects that may be placed freely on any individual slide. Microsoft claims that there are over more than 400 million PowerPoint users, making about 30 million PowerPoint presentations everyday. Still, may people feel as if PowerPoint's effects can be negative. PowerPoint, dilutes thought by reducing information to its lowest form and, in the process, eliminate narratives and casual reasoning," (Butler, Katt, Murdock, Pryor, p. 195). In order to find out if PowerPoint is useful professors from the University of Florida, developed a test entitled, Establishing Best Practices for the Use of PowerPoint as a Presentation Aid.
The team of professors developed three questions in order to test their hypothesizes:
Does the inclusion of bullet-point visuals increase audience recall of the presented material?
Does limiting the number of bullet-points per slide increase audience recall?
Does revealing the bullet points one at a time increase audience recall
148 undergraduate students of no statistically significant difference were put into 5 different treatment groups.
All groups received the same twelve minute audio message, but each group had different visual treatments.
All groups were asked to recall as many of the individual points of the presentation as he or she could.
Group 1 received five bullet points per slide, each line displayed one at a time.
Group 2 received five bullet points per slide, all lines displayed at once.
Group 3 received ten bullet point per slides, each line displayed one at a time.
Group 4 received ten bullet points per slide, all lines displayed at once.
Group 5, or Control Group, received an introductory title slide only, no bullet points displayed.
The data revealed:
Groups 1-4 who received visual bullet list information demonstrated greater recall that the control group.
No statistical difference in recall based on 5 versus 10 lines per slide.
Groups who received all bullets at once had slightly better recall.
What can we learn about PowerPoint from this experiment?
From this experiment we can infer:
That the use of supplementing an audio presentation with bullet point visuals can have a positive effect on the recall of presented material.
Displaying bullets one at a time versus all at once, may or may not be accurate. Although the groups who received the slides all at once had better recall there is no concrete evidence.
Always be weary of inferring too much from just a single study. PowerPoint will be around for the foreseeable future and more research must be done.
In the meantime, use PowerPoint to your advantage in audio presentations. Have bullet point visuals for the audience to look at, it can help with information recall. But always have more to say than what is on a slide, and never read off the screen!
The digital age of the 21st Century is currently seeing a transitioning trend from "fixed" technology to "mobile" technology. Implementing mobile technology into your current business model is often a comprehensive (as well as reasonably inexpensive) way to further connect employees and facilitate communication across different work spaces.
Smartphones, such as Blackberries, iPhones, and Android-powered devices and Windows Phones have become the standard in mobile business communication because of their portable power combined with the already-necessary cell phone. Below is a reference chart highlighting the key features of the four major smartphone platforms:
Why Should My Business Deploy Smartphones To Our Workforce?
A recent study conducted in Germany found that mobile technology integration, especially email and other communication technologies, increased workforce productivity because employees were able to access routine information regardless of their location. The days of missing calls, emails, or even corporate Facebook alerts are over - thus the productivity of your business can be greatly enhanced! Below is an outline of some of the key benefits of smartphone deployment:
Always on Communication
no missed messages
quicker response to daily emails, calls, and other communication
Increased Employee Communication
"The electronic grapevine" - employees use smartphones to communicate with each other
Mobile Collaboration
Projects are always accessible to employees
quick updates no longer require extra time at the office
The YouTube video below offers an excellent summary of how smartphones can benefit your business:
What are the best ways to use Smartphones in my current business model?
The ways in which your business can integrate smartphones are as varied as the many goals a particular business may have. The power of smartphone integration is the choice itself that a business has to make smartphone deployment truly unique to it's workforce. Here is a general, step-by-step guide that your business can adapt when taking office communication to the "mobile level."
Choose your Wireless (cell phone) carrier. The carrier is almost more important than the phone itself - the cell phone provider will administer all your communication so be sure to choose a carrier that has great coverage in all the areas your employees will be deployed.
Choose your smartphone platform. Refer to the chart of the four major smartphone platforms above. Each platform offers different twists on similar services. Find the one that suits your business best.
Train employees. Even if your employees are tech-savvy, mobile communication is a different ball game! Spend time training your employees how to use their new smartphone responsibly and effectively.
Define security. Business data is very important - make sure the data on your smartphones is secure through the use of frequent backups and security software.
Remain unified! Keep employees up-to-date with the latest software updates and frequent "new services" training to enhance the smartphone experience in the office.
These simple steps are adapted from a PCWorld article on the effective use smartphones in businesses. For the complete article text, click here.
What's My Bottom Line - Is Smartphone Integration Cost Effective?
The "bottom line" is every manager or business owner's primary concern. Unlike Instant Messaging, Facebook, or PowerPoint, Smartphone Integration is not a free service. For this reason, many business chose not to deploy smartphones to their employees. While it is true that a wireless plan and device purchasing for your business will cost money, most wireless carriers (i.e.: Verizon, AT&T, Sprint) offer special rates for business needs. Below are links to the major wireless carriers for business customer support pages, where pricing and availability information can be found.
Through evolution of the WWW, internal webs have been created from a hub of multimedia and online services. Intrawebs now encompass many web applications to help the corporate information system. Wiki's can be used to edit and maintain corporate documents while blogs may be used for technological news. Web services are ideal to allow for the integration of work flow management. Intrawebs can be as dedicated to a community or corporation as the employee are. They allow for the corporation to make use of applications that are not available to the public sphere. Intraweb design allows for a community to collaborate and attain professional objectives. Web technologies allow for the practice of knowledge management because they support collaboration, communication, question, memories, project managment, among other. Intraweb is now a place to explore professional interests like knowledge management.
IntraWeb is designed to build any sort of web-based application, whether it is a simple data entry form, a poll, or a complex application where clients have to be "logged in" for an extended period of time.
A perfect example of IntraWeb is Ecolege or Sakai. They are web based applications that allow for collaboration and communication over the internet through the designated space. Intraweb promotes internal networking through use of web-based application, and the ability to maneuver digitally.
References
Beurer-Zuellig, B., & Meckel, M. (2008). Smartphones Enabling Mobile Collaboration. Proceedings of the 41st Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 1-10.
Bryant, J., & Thompson, S. (2002). Fundametals of Media Effects. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Clark, T. (2006). Teaching students to write effective email. The Business Review.
Chibber, K. (2010). BBC.co.uk. Retrieved December 6, 2010. Location is everything: Tech hubs thrive in a supposedly virtual world: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11855078.
Dijck, Jose Van, and David Nieborg. "Wikinomics and Its Discontents: a Critical Analysis of Web 2.0 Business Manifestos." New Media and Society 855th ser. 11 (2009). Web.
Houghton, S.M., Smith, A.D., Hood, J.N. (2009). The influence of social capital on strategic choice: An examination of the effects of external and internal network relationships on strategic complexity, Journal of Business Research, 62(12), 1255-1261.
Katt, J., Murdock, J., Butler, J., & Pryor, B. (2008). Establishing Best Practices for the Use of PowerPoint as a Presentation Aid. Human Communication, 11(2),
193-200
Walther, J.B. (February 1996). Computer-mediated communication: impersonal, interpersonal, and hyperpersonal interaction. Communication Research.
How to Overcome the "Work-Day" Communication Blues
Matt Tarentino, Dan Ticker & Stephanie Yonus
Introduction - Why Business Need Technology
The introduction of new technologies into the everyday lives of human beings has had considerable effects on both private and public life. Great advancements in communication technology have served to unite the world as a global community and allow for incredible increases in the ease of sending and receiving messages.
The workplace has also seen the benefits of enhanced communication technologies. The fast-paced world of business communication requires constant connectivity and innovative services that can deliver client information quickly and accurately. One need only make a casual observation of any Fortune 500 company and it would become immediately apparent that the success of that company in the 21st Century is due to it's efficient implementation of communication technology.
In the modern world, however, it is not sufficient for a business to merely possess the capability to utilize new technology - it must know how to correctly deploy these technologies throughout the workplace. Even if employees have the technologies they need to communicate, a failure to know how to use them can have a more negative impact on the business culture than a complete lack of technology at all.
If you're looking for innovative ways to introduce new technology into your current business model or use the technologies your business has already integrated - then you've come to the right place! This Wiki will give straight-forward, concrete examples of the best ways to use the most popular new technologies to make communication technology work for your and cure the "work-day communication blues."
E-Mail
Using e-mail to communicate has rapidly become the most common form of communication in the workplace. In an instant, individuals can communicate effectively and efficiently whether they are working in the same building or in a different country. Using e-mail, individuals can exchange information, documents, spreadsheets, and many more at very little cost to the organization.
Even though it is the primary source of contact, there are still come common mistakes people make when communicating via e-mail. Some ways to maximize the flow of communication via e-mail are:
Full list and article can be found here
E-Mail vs. Face-to-Face Communication
While there is no way to forge an interpersonal exchange, a message that requires face-to-face communication could be made effective if the individual maximizes his or her resources. There are some messages that simply aren’t appropriate for using computer mediated communication. However, when it is used the right way, e-mail is undoubtedly one of the best tools for quick and efficient communication. It has been shown that groups using such technologies to pe
Peter Steiner.Published by The New Yorker on July 5, 1993
Instant Messaging
Instant messaging (IM) has existed in a consumer format since the 1990s, yet it is one of the most enduring computer-based communication technologies and has undergone considerable reformatting and revision as new mediated technologies have surfaced throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Thus, IM is one of the most convenient and adaptable workplace communication tools. Below is a short list of the benefits of IM services:
There are a wide variety of free IM services that your business can utilize for internal communication amongst employees. The chart below highlights the most popular providers. For external communication with clients or other businesses that might use Instant Messaging, a multi-platform IM service such as Trillian will aggregate all an employee's IM services to allow for seamless communication with a wide variety of individuals. Trillian can be downloaded from Trillian's Product Page.
As a business owner or manager, you may be asking yourself: "If my employees are always connected to each other, won't that present more distractions and decrease productivity?" As recent study conducted by the University of California suggests otherwise. The study found that:
A link to an article discussing this study can be found here.
Still on the fence? Check out the following video to see what Instant Messaging can do for your business -->
Can my employees really communicate over IM?
Yes! But keep in mine Instant Messaging is not a communication panacea! Careful use of IM, just like any technology, is what fuels effective integration. There is often concern within the management team of a business about to adopt IM or reevaluate their IM policies that peer-to-peer messaging is not "rich" enough to communicate the required amount of information to complete a task. Just remember: IM is not a substitute for face-to-face communication, however, it is a great supplement. Daily tasks, simple questions, and out-of-the-office communication can be handling much more effectively over an IM-based system. This saves time and those precious extra minutes of productivity.
Here are some rules for both employees and managers that will help business streamline the use Instant Messaging:
Full list of rules at CNN.com
Video Conferencing
Video Conferencing is an easy and inexpensive way for colleagues from different parts of the world to have virtual meetings. Using audio and video and/or text, it is as close as a person can get to a face-to-face meeting. There are many ways to use this feature including Skype , iChat, and ooVoo.
Some even argue that the future of the workplace isn’t even at work; it can be from anywhere you are. Using this feature, it is possible to do just about anything from anywhere you are: “post-geographic working”.
To use this feature, users will only need a few things:
Video conferencing, as opposed to videophone calls, is intended for multiple users. Businesses choose this method of communication to easily "meet" with members of the organization who are in a different location, or even in a different country. Video conferencing cuts travel and time costs dramatically, so for businesses with multiple locations, using this technology is an obvious choice.
The following video shows how simple video conferencing can be:
There are some purists who believe mediated forms of communication can never replace face-to-face interactions. While this may be true, technology is moving fast and it is up to businesses to stay informed and up to date on cutting edge and cost-effective ways to communicate.
Power Point
Smart Phones
IntraWeb
References
Beurer-Zuellig, B., & Meckel, M. (2008). Smartphones Enabling Mobile Collaboration. Proceedings of the 41st Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 1-10.
Bradley, T. (2010, June 20). PCWorld.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010, from Managing Smartphones in Your Business: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/198031-2/managing_smartphones_in_your_business.html.
Bryant, J., & Thompson, S. (2002). Fundametals of Media Effects. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Clark, T. (2006). Teaching students to write effective email. The Business Review.
Chibber, K. (2010). BBC.co.uk. Retrieved December 6, 2010. Location is everything: Tech hubs thrive in a supposedly virtual world: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11855078.
CNN. (2004, December 20). CNN.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010, from Six Rules for IM-ing at Work: http://articles.cnn.com/2004-12-03/us/im.work_1_instant-messaging-aol-s-instant-messenger-electronic-communication?_s=PM:US.
Daily, S. (2008, June 4). ScienceDaily.com. Retrieved November 29, 2010, from Instant Messaging Proves Useful In Reducing Workplace Interruption: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080603120251.htm.
Dijck, Jose Van, and David Nieborg. "Wikinomics and Its Discontents: a Critical Analysis of Web 2.0 Business Manifestos." New Media and Society 855th ser. 11 (2009). Web.
Houghton, S.M., Smith, A.D., Hood, J.N. (2009). The influence of social capital on strategic choice: An examination of the effects of external and internal network relationships on strategic complexity, Journal of Business Research, 62(12), 1255-1261.
Katt, J., Murdock, J., Butler, J., & Pryor, B. (2008). Establishing Best Practices for the Use of PowerPoint as a Presentation Aid. Human Communication, 11(2),
193-200
Walther, J.B. (February 1996). Computer-mediated communication: impersonal, interpersonal, and hyperpersonal interaction. Communication Research.