Phone
- Is used for quick calls in order to achieve a decision or setting up an appointment for a longer conversation.
- In the event your call is forwarded to a voicemail, remember to communicate a time slot where you yourself will be available for a return call.
SMS/ Chat
- Is used for sending an information (status/ update/ question/ etc.)
- The receiver can reply when convenient (expected to be within the same day)
Email/ letter
- The “Subject:” is always filled out with a reference, i.e. content could follow this structure: Group (project/ activity) – Topic (description/ headlines) – Action (question/ decision/ etc.)
- There is only one person in “To:” as this person will be the one to take action based on the content
- The person (-s) in “CC:” is receiving the email/ letter for information, i.e. no action is required
- In the event more than one person is listed in “To:” the first line has to explain purpose with multiple receivers and each person will have to be addressed with an action
- A reply is within 24 hrs. (In the event the reply requires some effort, I recommend sending a confirmation of having received the email with an estimate of when a reply can be expected)
Cultural behaviour
- Phone is silenced and pocketed during meetings – never to be on the table during a meeting
- Live conversation with another person has priority over responding to a call/ text/ chat unless you have informed upfront about your priority
With this simple guide I hope to inspire for a culture, where the individual have time to reflect before responding.
I started my professional career in Denmark early in the 1980s where the general means to communicate were physical meetings, phone calls (landline) or letters send by the national post office. Fax was not that common those days. During the 1990s communication using mobile phones, email and Internet became common, however the culture from the days of “snail-mail” continued to be used for many years.
A “food-for-thought” experience:
when I worked within the telecommunication industry this has been the only one, where cell phones and laptops were forbidden in a meeting room…
This article was published initially on LinkedIn on 27 February 2020 (Some modification of the wording has been executed in this version).
Image Credits:
| Typewriter w/ “Send a Mail” | Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash |
| Old Black Phone | Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash |
| Sending a text | Photo by freestocks on Unsplash |
| Typewriter on a Post Stamp | Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash |
| Communication Cloud | Dreamstime Free |
Thank you for having read this article – hope you have enjoyed it and that it has given you some ideas of where to start improving your own business or individual role, when it comes to the use of IT.
Best wishes for the future.