Communication Tools
When working on a project, there is nothing more frustrating then having progress held up because you can’t get a hold of a key person (SME, designer, etc). Because of that, I’ve found several tools that I use with my teams whenever we start on a project. The first one is a cell phone, but that’s obvious so I won’t go into detail – except to mention that that I keep my work phone forwarded to my cell phone so I can work wherever and whenever I want to (and people who haven’t perfected the idea of a “virtual office” can still contact me). Now, let me mention some other tools.
Indispensable Communication Tools
Wireless Internet: If you’re not sold on WiFi, it’s because you haven’t used it yet! The $50 wireless base station that allows me to work anywhere in my house is one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. Many people, like my friend Curt Allen, have switched to mobile internet so they can be connected anywhere they can get a cell phone signal.
Instant Messenger (IM): This is probably the most useful tool ever invented for keeping group communication flowing. If there is actually someone out there that is not sold on the idea yet, here are several important points to consider…
- It’s free
- You can respond on IM in places that it is not appropriate to talk (boring meetings have turned into one of my most productive times)
- You can easily pull multiple team members together, even if they are physically far apart.
- You can send files back and forth without waiting for them to come through your e-mail as attachments (and they can be much larger files too).
- Not only is the tool different from voice conversation, but the IM culture is different too. On IM it is perfectly acceptable to skip the formalities of a phone conversation (see example below)
| Sample Voice Conversation C: Hello? R: Hi, is Chris there? C: Yeah, this is Chris R: Oh, hi Chris, this is Richard C: How are you doing Richard? R: Great thanks, and you? C: Oh, ya’ know, I’m hanging in there. How can I help you? R: Well, I’m just looking through my notebook and I can’t find the room number that we are supposed to be meeting in tomorrow. Do you know what it is? C; Yeah, it’s room 134. R: Great, thank you very much. C: No problem, have a great day. R: Thanks, you too! C: Bye. R: Bye. |
Equivalant IM Conversation R: what room is the meeting in tomorrow? C: 134 |
Skype: Another tool to consider using is Skype. I haven’t really had the need for it yet, but Paul Allen swears by it.
Tools to Avoid
e-mail: Not only is e-mail slow, people are buried in it. There are days when I receive more than 50 messages (not including those that my junk mail filter zaps). It’s also frustrating when someone sends a large file that clogs up the account (those of you that are still using Hotmail because you can’t get a gmail account know about this one).
paper: wasteful, heavy, boring. what else do I need to say?
Am I saying that I don’t ever use e-mail or paper communication? Of course not, there are times when it is appropriate – but they are not my first method of communication.
The Virtual Office
Allowing technology keep you in touch with project members from wherever you are gives an incredible amount of freedom. I think all of the creative energies in me would grind to a halt if I had to sit in my office all day. I just want to share one experience in my life that was possible thanks to using a “virtual office” mentality”.
Last year I was approached by a school in Mexico to do some technology integration training for a semester with their faculty. I did not quit my job in Provo as I knew that my position in Mexico was only temporary. So even thought I was gone, it was business as usual. Because my phone was forwarded to my cell phone and the fact that all of my contacts were on instant messenger, I think my boss was the only one who knew I was even out of the country!