Technologies and Tools

Effective Communication

How do the people in your organization communicate?

Does communication take a long time in your organization?
Are your lines of communication clear for everyone?
Are your staff members misusing E-mail technology, to waste rather than save time?
Do you have reliably successful ways of resolving issues and conflicts?
Do you have a culture of full, open and honest communication?

Communication is the key

Effective communication is the key to the kingdom. Everything else you do depends fundamentally on your ability to communicate effectively.

Communication is a function of principles and practices

At the heart of the matter are certain fundamental principles that can be learned quickly. Then, through strategic practices, these principles can be applied successfully to an infinite variety of situations. Key principles include, for example:

• In order to communicate clearly, you must first be clear yourself on what your intention is in communicating.
• More than 90% of any communication is non-verbal, delivered through your tone or body language.
• Being honest and forthright depends in great measure on the culture of your organization -- on whether there is a shared permission to be direct with one another and a shared experience of partnership that allows constructive comments to be heard as a contribution rather than an attack.

Take your communication to a new level

We work with your staff, your managers and your boards of directors to underscore the communication principles that will transform your organization, and then design with you the agreements and practices that will support you in communicating effectively on an ongoing basis. Through effective communication, your teamwork and partnership grow and your work is accomplished with less effort and greater reward.

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"effective environments has been working with the entire [California Operations] staff....The entire staff is functioning as a team with common goals and everyone is developing and improving communications skills. Overall, morale and job satisfaction have greatly improved."

— Director, California Operations
Island Press