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10 Most Common Communication Mistakes Made By IT Professionals PADLA Nov. 13, 2013 Hedy Baker Communications Consultant Slide 2 Slide 3 Youve Got Mail and lots of it Slide 4 Each year,$308 Billion lost productivity, due to time wasted with email. Slide 5 Slide 6 Email is Digital King Slide 7 10 Most Common Email Mistakes 1. Not knowing your audience 2. Too long, dense 3. Unnecessary words 4. Ask is unclear 5. Use of jargon, acronyms, and technical phrases 6. Bad grammar 7. Spelling errors/wrong word 8. Complicated copy 9. Unprofessional formatting 10. One-way communication Slide 8 #1. Not Knowing Your Audience Ill tweet, Ill chirp, Ill make whatever noise you want. Just give me the job. Slide 9 Slide 10 If I Had More Time, I Would Have Written a Shorter Letter. #2. Too long/Dense Slide 11 Subject: Communication In IT Project A failure to communicate effectively is often the greatest threat to the positive outcome of the project as effectiveness of this facet can be the determinative factor for many project successes. Key aspects discussed include the dissemination of project overviews, management of conflict and implications for team dynamics, and the management of meetings and how this can promote team dynamics in a project team. Slide 12 #3. Unnecessary Words FROM: In order that TO: So TO: I FROM: In my opinion FROM: Due to the factTO: Because, Since FROM: At this pointTO: Now FROM: The reason is due to TO: Since FROM: With regard to TO: Regarding FROM: On the grounds thatTO: Because Slide 13 Subject Line: November Report 1 st sentence: You have been involved with managing costs in your department. These costs are listed below. 3 rd paragraph: I need to submit the budget by Nov. 1. Please get back to me with changes. #4. Unclear ask Slide 14 #5. Using jargon, acronyms, and technical phrases SERVER FARM ABORT Source error Dev server Slide 15 #6. Bad Grammar WRONG: Theres too many emailsRIGHT: There are too many emails WRONG: My trip to NYC is one I will always remember RIGHT: Ill always remember my trip to NYC. WRONG: If a student parks on campus, they have to buy RIGHT: If a student parks on campus, he/she has to buy WRONG: In 2010, the VP said he is fed up RIGHT: In 2010, the VP said he was fed up Slide 16 #7. Spelling Errors/Wrong Word Their/there Effect/affect Its/its Ensure/insure Than/then Advice/advise Accept/except Slide 17 #8. Unprofessional Formatting Lets eat Grandma. Lets eat, Grandma. Lets eat Grandma? Lets eat, Grandma! Emoticons/Photos, Clip Art, Graphics Slide 18 # 9. Complicated Subject: Release Weekend There is a major release taking place this coming weekend. If needed, we must be able to contact any IT associate. Make sure Dawn has all your contact info, including your cell phone number. You must be accessible 24/7 until the end of next week. You may be asked at a moments notice to come into the office. You also need to dial into a conference call, if needed, that will be held each day between 3 p.m.-4 p.m. When you call in, make sure to have the problem, server impacted, users affected, how long its been going on, and what you have done to correct the issue. If you are aware of any incident, you must report it to the Help Desk. Please update the portal site in a timely manner. Make sure you follow the process; it is the most efficient way for incidents to be addressed in a timely manner. You can call the Help Desk at any time, even after normal business hours. It is setup to take calls at any time and will escalate issues to the appropriate resolver groups. To ensure we capture and report all issues to senior management, it is imperative that the Help Desk is the single point of contact for all incidents. Thank you for your cooperation. Slide 19 #10. One-way communication Slide 20 Slide 21 Before Hitting Send Button Write to Your Audience, Not to Yourself Ask Yourself: What Type of Impression am I Making Take Time to Do it Right KISS Check Your Grammar/Spelling Write, Read, Edit, Reread, Edit Read it Out Loud Provide Contact Information Slide 22 THANK YOU Hedy Baker Communications Consultant hedybaker@msn.com 267-240-5476