Do you ignore the 800lb. elephant in the room, or do you deal with it? (source: code poet)
In this article, I’ll discuss one of the most essential business communication skills: the ability to discuss issues with your colleagues in a productive manner. One of the critical team communication skills, discussing issues effectively will help you significantly with issue resolution and conflict management.
We live in a time where business communication has taken on unprecedented levels of transparency (people outside “the company” can see inside it much easier), and the tools used for team communication are seemingly endless (Blogs, Twitter, Instant Messaging, TXT Messaging, etc.). All of this technology actually can do very little to help when an issue arises. In fact, I would argue that conflict management and team communication suffers when you try to deal with an issue using these technologies.
Why? Because issues are emotional, uncomfortable, and sometimes even fearful, things.
For example, let’s say you’re in marketing, and you see key metrics for your company decreasing. What does that mean for the future of your company’s growth? Issues like these can cause a lot of anxiety. You get the idea.
6 Tips for Discussing Issues with Your Colleagues [plus a Business Communication Secret]
Try these 6 tips next time you need to discuss an issue with your colleagues. And, be sure to come back to Dot Connector and comment to let us know how it went!
1. Seek out the person you need to discuss the issue with
- Ideally, discussing the issue would be a face-to-face conversation, but sometimes you can only get the person on the phone.
- Regardless, be sure to talk directly to the person. Don’t use technology to facilitate the conversation (i.e. email, instant messaging, etc.).
- Next, check to see if the person is ready to discuss the issue. You need to ask yourself “is this person in a state of mind where we can have an open conversation?” If they are not, it’s not the right time and you should attempt to discuss later.
2. Outline the issue in plain terms
- Never assume the person you’re talking to knows everything you know, or remembers what you talked about previously. This is especially true with executives who are spread so thin and in so many conversations that they need a refresher.
- You might need to “take a step back” from the actual issue and discuss the situation that caused it before going right into the details. Be sure when initially discussing the issue to keep your opinion out of it.
- Imagine describing the issue to a 5 year-old. How would you explain it? Then, use that explanation.
3. Suggest your position, ideally using data to back it up
- Once you both are on the same page about what the issue is, suggest your opinion on how to deal with it.
- It’s critical to first have data or evidence of some sort to back up your opinion whenever possible.
- Why? Because if you make the discussion about data and not opinion, you will have a much higher probabilty of resolving the issue.
4. Be open to the idea that you are wrong, or that a complimentary idea will be better.
- Go into every issue discussion/conflict management scenario with the idea that your idea for resolution might not be the only resolution.
- By keeping your mind open to the feedback you receive from your colleague(s), you may create an even better issue resolution together!
5. Gain consensus and discuss next steps.
- Clearly recap what you both decide, just to ensure you heard it right. This might seem like a laborous step, but it’s critical to help you gain consensus.
- Use this moment to ask if you got it right, and clarify any points that seem to cause issues.
6. Document your conversation.
- It’s always a good idea to recap important conversations in an email or meeting notes, so you both have a record to reference later.
- I’ve seen issues resolved during a conversation, only to come back again when no one remembers what was decided.
- Take the time to do this, and you’ll set clear expectations for everyone involved.
Business Communication Skills Secret: “Match the Medium to the Message”
One thing I’ve learned in business communication – sometimes, the hard way – is to “match the medium to the message.” Basically, that means use a “medium” (face-to-face, email, phone, chat, etc.) that corresponds to the “message” (informational update, cancelling a contract, etc.).
Here are some good examples I have seen:
- Cancelling a contract with a partner? Face-to-face is ideal, but phone communication can work too.
- Sharing notes from a meeting? Email is best.
- Need a quick question answered from a teammate? Chat/IM is likely best.
Here are some real-life bad examples I have seen:
- Using email to threaten to cancel a contract.
- Using chat to apologize after a heated shouting match during a meeting.
- Using email to ask a partner to not cash a check.
So, before you communicate significant information, always ask yourself: “Am I matching the medium to the message?”