Railroads to effective communication
Are Codes and syntaxes the only form of expression for a developer?
“You cannot continuously improve interdependent systems and processes until you progressively perfect interdependent, interpersonal relationships.”- Stephen Covey
Communication is quintessential for the survival and existence of the human race. It is the process of procreating, sharing, trading information, views, facts to establish a connection and understanding. Communication has broad classifications and in this post, I will cover formal communication and some pointers to effectively communicate.
“Talk in order that I may see you”- Socrates
Formal communication is classified into,
Vertical communication: The flow of information between people in the same division (upwards or downwards- only if there is hierarchy) through formal channels like meetings, slack, Trello etc.
Horizontal communication: The flow of information between two divisions. For eg: The procurement and shipment divisions in a logistics company.
The Freeflow (highlighted)is the most practised form of communication network in the hi-tech startups and new age internet companies. The two most important pillars of the startups are teams that make the org and the clients. Streamlining the communication for these two pillars forms the deep-seated foundation for the organisation to grow and achieve business goals.
An engaged workforce is an involved workforce. Team engagement improves morale, increases productivity and leads to a better ecosystem. It helps all of us to absorb organisation values & purposes and to engage with roles fully.
After the prelude, let us get to the task.
- Teamwork is directly proportional to emotional intelligence
An interesting observation is that Emotional intelligence is the most debated or underestimated skill in a startup. Emotional intelligence is complimentary to the Intelligence Quotient. A team player cognizant of the emotions of his teammates is able to handle interpersonal relationships more empathetically.
With the increase in the number of remote/ silo teams, startups particularly might find it difficult for their employees to express emotional intelligence. This can either be a nightmare or a dream job depending on how the team works. Meeting deadline, in particular, might be daunting without a collaborative environment.
- Brainstorming is a fail-proof way to progress and develop emotional intelligence. It is not a mandate that it will be a “no conflict” zone and productive conflicts give a fresh perspective of ideas. This healthy camaraderie develops into a symbiotic relationship for the individuals and the organisations.
- Emotions are contagious, be wise to choose how you express in the workplace. Positive energy begets positivity in the ecosystem.
- Criticism can be in the form of solutions rather than blame games. This definitely elevates positivity and collaboration.
2. Worker ownership is only one form of democratizing ownership- Gar Alperovitz
There is definitely a sense of pride in taking ownership and executing a herculean task. It enhances decision-making ability and strengthens official relationships. In startups, because of flat hierarchy, it has been often found difficult to find meaningful solutions to common qualms. Ownership gives the individual a myriad of opportunity to strike transparent open conversations, in turn, helping to build a cohesive team.
It helps individuals to develop negotiating skills to execute the task in hand without making compelling requests.
3. Curiosity and compassion
Curiosity imbibes qualities like questioning, listening. It gives an opportunity for individuals to be less consumed about themselves. Being genuinely curious to know about an individual, his issues and objectives will open the communication channels resulting in long-lasting and meaningful relationships.
It helps one to understand the thought process and where the individual is coming from, his needs and issues that have to be addressed.
Being compassionate is not necessarily being sympathetic, instead is an attempt to understand the person.
A person feels like they’re being heard, they tend to open up more and feel safer and more secure in the conversation, which can lead to a more trusting relationship- Forbes Magazine
This is crucial to resolving conflicts, managing change and making tough decisions to get a positive outcome.
4. Small talk ain't bad
Small talk is when you strike a conversation with someone at work without an agenda. This is my favourite, pretty informal and the easiest form of communication. Such conversations can simply start with “How are you”, “How is your day coming along”, “what are you up to these days”, so and so forth. The responses have regaled me many times when the conversation leads on to discover more about the person, their ways. Small talks are not necessarily ways to pry into the individual’s life. It is a way to understand each other and of course, it is not always granted that the other person shows the same enthusiasm as you do.
Apart from the questions above some topics for small talks are, if the person is from a different place you could talk about culture, practices, food. Technology, science, economics and sports too. Exercise caution not to tread the path of religion, ethnicity as you may not want to come across as being brash to their religious beliefs.
These are just some examples suggest reading books mentioned in the article on how big a deal is a small talk. https://electricliterature.com/7-books-that-prove-small-talk-is-a-big-deal-87a215355c76
Mother of all is to master dynamic communication which is not just useful at the workplace but virtually in life too. It is the art of conveying in an objective manner encouraging people to negotiate and observe perspectives.
Communication is the key to influencing others and creating powerful teams, relationships and joint forces to achieve successful outcomes.- Forbes Magazine
References: “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey
“The Lean Startup” by Eric Ries
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