Information Overload and Advantages of E-mail
Effective communication policies ensure that vital information flows through the company to all the various members of the staff. Developments in IT (information technology) and telecommunications have changed the way people communicate, making it possible to contact people at any time through email, voicemail and mobile phones. This has led to an information overload, where business people spend more time reading and listening to messages than acting upon them.
Of course, companies have a huge appetite for information, and have encouraged the development of systems to produce, store and analyse it. As a recently completed study by American analysts shows, the average white-collar worker sends and receives about 190 messages a day, in a variety of electronic and paper formats. As it has been reported, trying to manage the volume of information is redefining productivity in the workplace. So, it may be said that coping with information is now key to a manager`s productivity.
On comparison with mobile phones and taxes, not to say anything about ordinary mail, e-mail is seen as less intrusive than other forms of communications. All of us are constantly interrupted on our cell phones. E-mail is much less trouble than using a fax machine which is often not in your office. Furthermore, differences in location and time zone are less an obstacle to information with e-mail. E-mail is cheaper and faster than a traditional letter – which is known as snail mail. Finally, there is evidence that e-mail leads to a more democratic structure, allowing all computer users easy access to company information and documents.
Some executives have turned e-mail to their advantage, finding in the medium a new and convenient way of running a business. Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, for instance, reportedly spends hours a day reading and sending e-mail.
Questions:
1. What kind of policies ensure that vital information becomes available to all members of the staff?
2. What has led to the information overload?
3. Do companies need information?
4. What does a recently completed study show?
5. What is considered to be a key factor of a manager`s productivity?
6. Which form of communication is agreed to be less intrusive than other forms?
7. What are the advantages of e-mail?
Unit 7
Text C
A Few Tips about Making Business Calls
If you don`t have much experience about making phone calls in English, making a business call can be a worrying experience. I you have to call somebody you already know, you may actually enjoy making the call – but remember that long distance calls are expensive.
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You may have to make a first-time business call to a prospective client: it isn`t easy in English! Making a phone call to a stranger can be quite stressful, especially if they can speak English better than you.
Most business people, unless they feel very confident, prepare for an important phone call in a foreign language in advance. And during the call they are making notes while they are talking to help them to remember what was said.
Although it`s quick and convenient to phone someone to give them information or to ask questions, the disadvantage is that there is nothing in writing to help you to remember what was said. It`s essential to make notes and often when an agreement is reached on the phone, one of the speakers will send a fax or e-mail to confirm the main points that were made.
As it`s so easy to be misunderstood when talking on the phone it`s a good idea to repeat any important information (especially numbers and names) back to the other person to make sure you`ve got it right. Always make sure you know the name of the person you are talking to. If necessary, ask them to spell it out to you, so that you can make sure you`ve got it right – and try to use their name during the call. And make sure they know your name, too.
It`s important to sound interested, helpful and alert when answering the phone. You may have to make or receive calls to or from regular customers and prospective customers, so a good telephone manner not only makes an impression in business, but it also helps to make money. Perhaps the most significant difference about being on the telephone is that you are cut off from your normal sources of feedback. In a face-to-face situation, you can rely on a number of visual cues to gauge the other person’s reaction to your message, but these aren’t available to you over the phone. When you are doing business over the telephone, all you have to go on are those cues provided by the other person’s voice; for example:
· tone of voice
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· speech rate
· the actual words
So much depends on a phone call. A phone call, when executed professionally, functions like a business tool which you can take advantage of to gain more benefits for your business or career. Unfortunately, though, some professionals underestimate the power of a phone call. They don’t understand how it can affect their work.
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