Effective Communications

Communications is a big problem in many organizations. I discovered a very interesting blog entry on the subject by Kurt Deutscher just the other day...

Communications is a big problem in many organizations. Information may be poorly communicated, or not provided at all so that you have to dig for it. Sometimes people just don’t read newsletters, or even email. They may be overwhelmed by the ‘stuff’ coming at them or they may just feel it is too much bother to keep informed. Important information does not get distributed and people are resentful because they are not kept ‘in the loop.’ The important work of the organization suffers.

I have done websites for a few organizations and, assuming the site is well-designed, getting people to use a website or other technology to communicate effectively is probably harder than putting up the site in the first place. It does not really matter whether you are dealing with a small, local organization or an extended family scattered across the country.

The company that provides my web software and hosting for this site is EllisLab, and a blog posting by Kurt Deutscher, who is listed as ‘Chief Technology Evangelist’, caught my eye. It was titled “Communicating with a Dispersed Team” (May 07, 2008), and he talked about how their company is working on improving communications, since they have staff in six states in the US and two other countries.

In his blog, Kurt Deutscher tells of an experience he had when he was director of a childcare center. The center had several shifts of workers, including 27 employees and daily and occasional volunteers. They could only have staff meetings about once a month because they had to pay overtime for shift workers to come. No intercom or computers, either. In evaluating their facilities, he realized that they only had one adult bathroom. This was a problem for a number of reasons, but it did ensure that here was a place that everyone visited at least once a day. He decided to post a one-page newsletter in big print on the bathroom door every day. People could read it when they were otherwise occupied.

At first, according to Deutscher, there was a little resentment at an intrusion by management. When folks realized that the information was current and helpful, they asked that another copy be posted on the outside of the door so people waiting in line could read it, too.

“The consistent flow of up-to-date information from the main office, and the fact that everyone had equal access to it on a daily basis made the [newsletter] a success. Our staff was kept updated on all pertinent news and announcements, as often as new information was available. This proved to be a big help with preventing and controlling rumors, and encouraging useful conversations between staff members.”

According to Deutscher, the key things that made that made his newsletter a success were:

1. A captive audience with 100 percent attendance; everybody read it within 24 hours of each other
2. Regularly updated information from a reliable source
3. A presentation format that made the information quick and easy to consume

When I design a website, I certainly aim for a format that is ‘user friendly’ and accessible (#3). Choosing technology that is easy to use and getting people in the habit of using it (#1) is getting easier. What I am working on is convincing organizations that someone has to be responsible for keeping the information up-to-date (#2). With current technology it is easy to post information. Once folks get used to looking for the updates the organization will benefit and it will be a good experience for everyone.