Do Emojis and Animated Gifs Help or Hinder Business Communication? — Edward Fry on People

Edward Fry advises enterprises on ways to streamline their software development to drive business results.  He has been working with IT for over 20 years and has been passionate about technology all his life.  Edward lives in Oklahoma City with his wife, Linda, and 3 children.

Edward was a past guest on Hello Tech Pros episode 16 - Applying Kanban to Your Inbox and Calendar — Productivity Tuesday

Show notes at http://hellotechpros.com/edward-fry-people/

Key Takeaways Gartner found that in most business challenges 60% involved people, 20% process and 20% technology. Communication recipients are always thinking WIIFM - "What's In It For Me?" "How can I improve my performance review this month or enhance my credibility?" "Is this going to require a lot of extra effort from me?" When trying to get buy-in, look at the motivations of the individuals. Part of a change management or buy-in process is getting excitement. Organizations need to work to convey that they care about the employees opinions. Most people are good at heart and wat to help you succeed and will help when they can. People pick up very quickly if you're not genuine. Body language speaks more than the content of your message. Hands, arms, feet, posture, vocal intonation. If your message and body language are out of synch, it's like if musicians play out of tune. Try not to control your emotions and body language, let a little emotion come out. Empathic listening is key to good communication, not just listening to words, but being an active participant. Give your complete attention. Give feedback when the other person pauses. Also called "verbal reflection." 93% of what we understand is non-verbal, only 7% of total message payload is the words. People can seem very terse in email. A reader may appreciate the shortness of an email or may think writer was a jerk. You just don't know until they give feedback. Think about including emotional cues in message - smiley faces, animated gifs and "thanks so much!" Read your own messages before you send them with the mindset of your audience. When in doubt, pull it out. Have face-to-face conversations as much as possible. Get out of email and go to lunch or visit a coworker at their desk. Resources Mentioned HTP-16: Applying Kanban to Your Inbox and Calendar — Productivity Tuesday with Edward Fry