Tips and Techniques

  1. Caffeine: A surprisingly subtle stressor
  2. Sleep: Don't leave home without it
  3. How to stop unwanted thoughts
  4. Do you have trouble making decisions?
  5. More ideas for making decisions
  6. What did you expect? (Managing your expectations)
  7. Be careful what you say
  8. Long distance worrying
  9. The art of reframing
  10. Attitude is everything
  11. Reframing: The upside of a "crisis"
  12. If you can't "optimize", then "neutralize"
  13. Reframing other people's behaviour
  14. Dealing with difficult people
  15. Stop giving power to other people
  16. Stop giving power to abusive people
  17. How I learned to meditate
  18. Relaxation techniques
  19. The importance of social support
  20. Social support: Why and how?
  21. Communication aggravation
  22. Communication aggravation (part two)
  23. The power of permission
  24. Good health - It's your choice

Take me back to the Resource Centre index


Communication Aggravation - Part Two

Here are some suggestions for dealing with information overload and techno-irritation.

Decide what technology you want to use and how you want to use it. You don't need every gadget just because it's available. For example, I choose not to carry a pager, cell phone, electronic organizer or laptop. I use a car phone for emergency calls only. I have caller I.D. and take calls selectively during high-concentration work. I don't have a fax machine at home. These choices suit my business practice and lifestyle. Choose what works for you.

Tell people your favoured method of communication. I prefer telephone first, fax second and e-mail third. I inform people that I only check my e-mail twice a day so, to reach me quickly, telephone is best. We ask people not call us after 10:00 p.m. Notify others about your preferences.

Treat people the way you want to be treated. Don't spam others if you don't like them spamming you. Don't use your cell phone like a megaphone in public places.

Be selective about who you give your cell phone number and e-mail address to.

Voice Mail

A. Receiving calls.

  1. Keep it short. Identify your name or company and invite a message. You can say "I'm sorry I missed your call" but don't list a bunch of reasons - it doesn't matter if you're on another line, in a meeting, out for lunch, taking a walk, or in the bathroom. The point is - you're not available. My two favorite "cut-to-the-chase" (residential phone) messages are "Speak at the beep" and "You know what to do."
  2. Tell callers if your machine has a time limit so they don't get cut off in mid-sentence.
  3. If you require a long message, use a bypass system that allows callers to get right to the "record" tone.
  4. Avoid cliches - everyone's busy. My own pet peeve is "Your call is important to us," - usually used by companies that never answer with a live voice.
  5. If you're away, tell callers when you'll be picking up messages and calling back.
  6. During high-concentration tasks, avoid the temptation to answer the phone. It's a discipline - you may break out in a cold sweat - but it will protect your most productive time.

B. Leaving messages.

  1. Be brief. Anticipate a recorded greeting and plan your message in advance. Most of us don't think fast enough to leave a concise message instead of rambling.
  2. State the purpose of your call and the best time to call you back.
  3. Repeat your name and phone number at the end of your message (and say your number s-l-o-w-l-y)
  4. Leave only one message - even if you call back 2-3 times.

Fax.

  1. Don't send unsolicited marketing faxes.
  2. If you ignore #1, at least indicate how recipients can get off your mailing list.
  3. Ask if people require a cover sheet and tell them if you don't need one. It saves a lot of time, ink, and paper.
  4. Be respectful of privacy. Don't send highly confidential information by fax. Unopened or misdirected letters are sealed. But faxes are open to anyone and may lie around for days.

E-Mail

  1. Check e-mail only once or twice a day. It's a tempting toy, but a sinkhole for time and energy.
  2. Don't open your e-mail first thing in the morning if you're a morning person. You'll end up giving away your best 30-60 minutes/day, when you're freshest and most productive.
  3. Turn off the sound on your computer that signals the arrival of each new e-mail.
  4. Don't respond to messages unless you have to. Your quick "Thanks Bernie--have a great weekend." Is just one more message for him to download and open. It can be a greater courtesy not to reply.
  5. Keep your messages short -saves time for everyone.
  6. If you're sending the same message to multiple people, use the "blind cc" option so the recipient only sees their own name. I once received a 4-line message that was preceded by 16 lines of e-mail addresses of other people.
  7. Use high or highest priority designations only when you really mean it. I once got a message marked "highest priority"- only to find a solicitation for a charitable donation.
  8. Get your name taken off as many e-mail lists as possible. This includes joke lists--- unless the jokes are really funny.
  9. Use filtering programs if you're inundated with unwanted e-mails.
  10. Be your own filtering system. Before you press send, ask yourself if this message really needs to be sent at all.

Communication is a great thing. Over-communication is a blight. Use your toys wisely - and encourage others do the same.

All material copyrighted, David B. Posen M.D.