One issue that I see and hear over and over again in the workplace is poor internal communication. And the best thing is, it doesn't have to be an issue.
Managers not taking time to walk around and talk with their staff. Supervisors passing a message through a manager then a coordinator and then finally the information gets the the artist and the details are completely watered down.
It seems that we've come up with multiple ways to get in contact with our staff that is faster and easier than face to face communication. But is it really? Having a telephone on the end of a desk that seats eight artists and calling it every time you want to get in contact with one of those eight people is not effective.
Every time the phone rings it disrupts everyone within earshot, someone has to pick it up and get the attention of the person being called (calling out to them which again, is distracting) and then finally after disrupting ten people you get to talk with who you intended.
Now call me old fashioned but wouldn't it be easier, faster and more efficient to walk up to the person and speak with just them by their desk. And wouldn't it be faster, easier and more efficient to walk up to the person rather than emailing it from your desk thats two rows over with the chance the recipient may not read it for two hours? And I know, I know what do I know, I'm not a busy Production Manager but if you listen to the complaints of artists while they're working, during performance reviews and exit interviews, poor communication is one of the first points of discussion and complaint. You rarely hear complaints about the work. And the lack of face to face communication is just the beginning.
Some managers struggle with basic communication. They are great managers but can't get their message across because they don't like confrontation or public speaking or have poor grammar. This is an issue that is normally pretty obvious. And this scenario calls for higher management. The simplest things can help. Introduce the manager to their direct team so they feel comfortable speaking in front of them. Give them tips on how to handle difficult situations or how to word something negative in a positive way.
This article by Susan Heathfield gives examples of difficult situations and how to best handle them.
http://humanresources.about.com/od/workrelationships/a/difficultpeople.htm
While I know we are all busy it doesn't hurt to take the time to talk with someone in person. It really is more efficient and also builds a much better relationship between manager and staff or colleague and colleague. And because face to face communication is so rare in the workplace the one time that you decide to do it, it will be noticed and appreciated.
- go and speak with the person when you need to see them in dailies
- say 'hi' or 'come and talk to me later about your shot' to colleagues in the kitchen (this creates opportunity for face to face communication and builds rapport and trust in the workplace relationship)
- seek advice when dealing with difficult conversations so it can be handled away from email
http://www.communicationstraining.ca/
