Ever wonder why it is so easy to communicate with certain managers or workers?  At the same time, ever think why it takes some people so long to respond to email while a call is returned immediately?   By understanding the different modes of communication between individuals and their preferences, you can become a much more effective communicator in the workplace.

From the Briefcase Era to the Tech Era

It used to be that you go to work from nine to five  and leave work at the workplace.  If you need time to finish any work, you probably stayed late after work hours.  Any work you brought home from work would reside in your briefcase.  Whether you open up your briefcase when you got home and did any work, was up to you.

However, the workplace environment has changed due to progresses in technology.

Nowadays, with computers and the internet, work can be done almost anywhere.  Technology has created virtual or remote access to your office files.  With email accessible anywhere, from your computer at home to your mobile phone, there is no longer demarcation.  You are no longer constrained to conducting work only at the workplace.

The Communication Gap

In the workplace today, you will find several age generations.  From Baby Boomers to Generation X’ers to the next generation that are starting to fill up corporate America.  The differing age generations is also creating a communications gap.

This communication gap is created because of the different modes of communication each generation is used to.  For the Baby Boomers, they are used to communicating face to face or by telephone.  It used to be that in order to communicate in the workplace, you had to actually get up from your seat and walk over and communicate face to face.  The second option was to communicate through a telephone.

With email, communication has been made even simpler.  The newer generations may prefer communicating through email over the other methods.

In today’s world, communication is exchanged at an unprecedented pace and at times, an information overload takes place.

Understanding the Modes of Communication

Communication is the exchange of information or news.  The three main ways of communicating in the workplace today are:

• Face to face
• Telephone
• Email

In order to be an effective communicator, you need to figure out who is on the receiving end of your communication and communicate with their preferred method.  Understanding their preferred method will make you a more effective communicator in the workplace.