Communication Technologies

Team members must give some thought to the appropriate use of communication technologies. Time and distance as well as personal preference affect the utilization of communicating via telephone, voice mail, fax and email, or direct dialogue. The following tips will enhance the effectiveness of utilizing communication technologies when dialogue is not needed. Discussing complex issues or conflictive issues requires direct dialogue.

  1. Keep a record handy of the direct phone lines, pager numbers, voice mail numbers, fax numbers and email addresses of all team members. This vital information helps you communicate quickly and efficiently.

  2. Get a clear idea of the best and worst times of the day or week to contact a team member.

  3. Return phone calls as quickly as possible. Your team members will appreciate this and see it as a reflection of your respect for them and your accessibility to the team.

  4. Use a fax to break out of a telephone tag cycle. If you’ve been talking to each other’s machines for a day or so, send the person a fax with the information you wish to share.

  5. Use voice mail to leave your message in your own words and thus reduce the errors in translation that occur when a message is filtered through a third party.

  6. Leave a voice mail when the thought occurs to you, even in off hours. It can be delivered and picked up 24 hours a day.

  7. Use email to communicate 24 hours a day and to receive electronic confirmation that the recipient received your message.

  8. Use email to communicate with all team members simultaneously. This ensures no one is left out of the communication loop.

  9. Email can be effectively used to deliver positive feedback shortly after some team event or activity. Do not use email to deliver negative messages, however, because they may seem harsher in writing than in speaking.