Multimedia Communication
To be effective at all in any business environment, communication skills are critical. At one time this implied clear speaking, considered ideas and a confident presence. Today it is simply not enough to have good idea. How you deliver the idea, the time it takes you to deliver that idea, and how you choose to make it available are all as important as the idea itself. In my role as Systems Manager, I was tasked with creating and maintaining a training program that stretched across all departments of the company. At the same time, I was also constantly trying to pitch complex ideas to an executive team from different backgrounds, with different needs. Effective communication requires first that you consider your target audience. What do they need from this information? Then you can determine how long you have to deliver your content, and what might be the best way to deliver it.
In these modern times, we have unparalleled access to resources that can help us deliver our messaging better. The 365 environment is overflowing with options to collaborate and visualize. We have kanban boards, flow charts, digital forms and white boards. Citizen coders can create applications that can be deployed companywide. Automations can be written to move information where it needs to go. Video editors are increasingly robust and approachable, giving anyone the ability to create video content. Enterprise storage such as SharePoint can provide your staff with cloud folders, data tables and intranet sites. But all of it doesn't mean anything if people aren't aware of it and encouraged to use it. An effective, modern business system should provide the general management staff with tools to effectively communicate, and the training to use those tools.
Recently I was speaking with a contractor who was interested in possibly upgrading their existing estimate process. In this case all their estimates were being moved through Google Sheets. Again, this got me to thinking about how to effectively and quickly communicate a complex idea to someone that doesn't really have the time for details. How can I make talking about a spreadsheet exciting and engaging? What I submitted in this case looked very much like the following video.
