20.7 Communication Behavior in Emails
Learning Objective
- Communication behavior should mimic leadership that seeks to be positive and be transformative between sender and receiver.
How Do You Get What is in Your Mind into Another’s, so that it is Understood?
Leadership Influences Communication
The building block to communication in emails is to apply leadership concepts. According to Thompson (2014), leadership goals need to be clear and need maintenance. The word maintenance implies that leadership skills are not static. They require development, reflection and revision for effectiveness. Well executed communication subscribes to the same concepts of clarity, maintenance, reflection and revision for the purpose of effectiveness.
Leadership styles differ and fall into several categories such as servant leadership, transactional leadership, transformational leadership and organic leadership to name a few. Through leadership styles, specific traits manifest and are evident. Despite various theories on leadership, individuals can reflect upon leaders they have had interactions with and create a list of traits and styles those leaders held. Incorporated into their style are their communication behaviors.
If you subscribe to the theory that different categories of leaders exists, that leaders are comprised of various traits, and that leaders communicate differently, commonality must be determined to develop cohesive, positive construct of communication through email. Communication behavior, like leadership goals, must:
- Be clear, maintain focus on the goal, and avoid ambiguity
- Be polite in use of language
- Utilize language that suits the type of communication dependent on the intended receiver
- Discard assumptions of the reader’s level of knowledge
- Employ transformational tactics
- Remain open
- Be evaluated for maintenance purposes
In a study by Men (2014), quality relationships are built through understanding preferred methods to receive information within companies, evaluates how messages are sent, and the influence a leader has through utilization of communication channels. Symmetrical communication within organizations is most effective as seen in the study by Men (2014), when the messages are founded in trust, are open, and are credible. Employee satisfaction may be increased when symmetrical communication is practiced which allows for close interaction and a questioning process to take place between sender and receiver, or leader and follower. Maintaining ethical standards, utilizing writing that is true to your word, reading responses wholly and addressing all items raised in an email, and not making assumptions about the sender or the contents of the email are vital standards to follow to maintain levels of satisfaction in the communication relationship.
According to Keyton, Caputo, Ford, Fu, Leibowitz, Liu, Polasik, Ghosh,Wu (2013), in their study that evaluated workplace communication, actions are initiated in sequence by behaviors. Visualize an elaborate maze of dominos that are set up so that when the first piece is knocked down, it initiates a chain reaction, causing all the other dominos to fall in sequential order. Communication behaviors are just like dominos; the onset of motion of one has sequential impact on what occurs next.
Tactical Relevance
Communication may often mirror the design of a tactical team. No matter the design of a tactical team, the composition requires:
- An objective that may be problem solving in nature, and the objective is clear and concise (Thompson, 2014, p. 77-79).
- That the team sees connections (Bennis & Goldsmith, 2010, p. 179).
- A clearly define starting point-planning strategy (Bennis & Goldsmith, 2010, p. 193).
- Practice; Mistakes are evaluated honestly, and practice takes place to increase awareness (Ruiz, 1997, p. 81).
- That questions need to be asked to see connection to a larger purpose (Preskill and Brookfield, 2009, p. 227).
- Questioning what behavior you are intending to affect, then design your words accordingly (Kelley & Kelley, 2013, p.200).
Development of effective communication requires dispelling previous assumptions and “getting past preconceptions or routine ways of thinking” (Kelley & Kelley, 2010, p. 103) and framing questions, concepts, and ideas in new ways. As Malala Yousafzai describes in her book, “I am Malala,” “We should learn everything and then choose the path to follow,” and “we should focus on practical issues” (Yousafzai, 2013, p. 162, 223). Communication should subscribe to the same concepts of learning knowledge to use, decide when and what knowledge we choose to use, and make our communications speak to others on a level that they understand and want to take action on.
Dialogue between parties will be the most beneficial to all parties involved when the methods used clearly instruct, inform, interact and connect and deviate from the use of negative speech patterns (Kelley & Kelley, 2010, p. 199). Exhibiting behavior that is positive, that refrains from being too complex, and that does not assume what is being stated, rather is explicitly clear when corresponding in emails should be the focus.
Key Takeaway
- Communication should display qualities that are similar to transformational leadership roles, tactical teams and be reflective of your positive leadership attributes.
Exercises
- Design an email keeping in mind a tactical team. Design an objective, see connections to the issue, define the starting point strategy, practice and evaluate for errors, question and make clear the larger purpose, keep in mind the behavior you are intending to affect.
- Read an email you received. Based on the construction of the email, would you say the words used came from a transformational leader? Why or why not?
- Read an email that you received. What did you like about it, and why? What suggestions would you make for improvement? What was similar or different about that particular email than ones you have sent recently?
References
Bennis, W.; Goldsmith, J. (2010). Learning to lead. A workbook on becoming a leader. New York, New York: Basic Books.
Kelley, T.; Kelley, D. (2013). Creative confidence. United States: Crown Business.
Keyton, J., Caputo, J. M., Ford, E. A., Fu, R., Leibowitz, S. A., Liu, T.,Polasik, S., Ghosh, P., Wu, C. (2013). Investigating verbal workplace communication behaviors. Journal of Business Communication, 50(2), 152-169. doi:10.1177/0021943612474990
Men, L. R. (2014). Strategic internal communication: Transformational leadership, communication channels, and employee satisfaction. Management Communication Quarterly, 28(2), 264-284. doi:10.1177/0893318914524536
Preskill, S.; Brookfield, S.D. (2009). Learning as a way of leading: Lessons from the struggle for social justice. San Francisco: Jossey-Boss.
Ruiz, D. (1997). The four agreements. San Rafael, California: Amber-Allen Publishing.
Thompson, L.L. (2014). Making the team: A guide for managers. New Jersey: Pearson
Yousafzai, M. with Lamb, C. (2013). Malala yousafzai I am Malala. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
