Survey Finds Executives Using E-mail More;Fewer Using Phones, Meetings
Executives today less likely to make introductions or small talk around the office water cooler. That’s because they are spending less and less time conversing with colleagues by phone and in person, a new survey shows.
Survey Finds Executives Increase E-mail Usage;
Fewer Report Using Telephone or Meetings
Executives today less likely to make introductions or small talk around the office water cooler. That’s because they are spending less and less time conversing with colleagues by phone and in person, a new survey shows.
Only 13 percent of managers polled in a recent survey use the telephone as their primary means of communication, down from 48 percent five years ago; just 14 percent rely on face-to-face meetings, compared with 24 percent five years ago. Instead, e-mail has become the most common form of dialogue at work, according to 71 percent of respondents. Five years ago, 27 percent reported using e-mail as their primary means of communication.
The survey was developed by OfficeTeam, a leading staffing service specializing in the placement of highly skilled administrative professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 150 senior executives at the nation’s 1,000 largest companies.
“E-mail offers the advantages of speed and efficiency,” says Diane Domeyer, executive director of OfficeTeam. “But the message should match the medium. Phone conversations allow individuals to share ideas and feedback with the benefit of vocal inflections, which reduces the potential for confusion or miscommunication. Meeting in person adds yet another dimension as participants can respond to facial expressions and body language.”
OfficeTeam offers the following tips for determining the right medium for various types of business communication:
E-Mail
- For one-way communication
- For quick, back-and-forth discussion that does not require lengthy explanations
- To have a written record of decisions and avoid future confusion
- To forward information to a large or dispersed group of colleagues
Telephone
- To explain a subject in greater detail or debate a topic
- To consult with or come to a decision among a group of dispersed workers
- To reduce the potential for miscommunication on important issues
- To make a group announcement and provide a forum to ask questions about the views
Meetings
- To relay sensitive or confidential information
- To explain complicated or controversial issues that involve a discussion or debate
- To allow colleagues to share ideas and feedback with the benefit of vocal inflections
- To share ideas with the benefit of vocal inflections, facial expressions and body language
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