Transparency in Communication

Whether you work in communications or not, at some point in time you'll have to work in groups. Groups pose some pretty unique challenges when communicating due to the fact that you're working with a diverse type of communicator and personality.

Working with a variety of personalities, particularly when you are aware of yours and your affect on people, can be fun. If you think the sun rises and sets out of your bum, or think everyone loves you, this post is not for you. Your blissful ignorance will always save you from the wrath of others.

So, there are some basic personality types, introverts and extroverts, type A and type B, and control freak and laid back. Simply put, introverts actually work well on committees and in groups, even though it wears them out. Extroverts enjoy working with others because it gives them an outlet for their energy. A type A wants to get everything perfect and a type B is content throwing things together and letting the chips fall where they may. Control freaks have to have every piece of information, need to double-check it for accuracy, and then dictate how the information is used. On the other hand, if you're working with a laid back person, you may get scattered bits of information until a decision is required.

So where does that leave you? Transparency and acceptance. Accepting that you are going to have to work with someone who doesn't work the way you do, and moreover may think they are laid back when in fact they are a control freak or an extrovert when they are an introvert, is the key to transparent communication.

No one wants to feel like the decision was made without them, particularly if they care about the issue at hand. For people with an even moderate control freak streak in them, collecting information from other sources and making decisions about what to share will drive them crazy. They will really appreciate all the information, and the ability to put it together in a way that makes sense to them. I forgot a personality type that complicates matters a bit, though. There are people, and engineers are frequently labeled with this, who will analyze every piece of information and want to discuss it with the group. It's called analysis paralysis, and it will take a committee down.

In the interest of keeping everyone happy, it's best to establish communication, and provide regular updates in the event changes occur. What kind of changes? The kind where one person takes on the responsibility of another. If it's group information, it's nice to ask the group if someone else who may be doing less, or have an interest in the topic, would like to take it on or share. Most groups meet monthly, so email is the best way to communicate these types of changes or make the request.

Creating an agenda and designating who is responsible for the information will also cut down on the level of surprise, in the event your committee or group has a laid back person on it whose interest is captured for a moment. Following the agenda is good, too, although if the committee or group gets bogged down on a topic, it might be better to designate a date to make a decision and let everyone think about the information individually. It takes the inevitable argument out of the equation, and gives some time and space to think about what was discussed.

One last piece of advice about transparent communication - honesty. If you're in a group or on a committee, and feel like you are being left out of the decision making process, you have to say something to the group. They may not realize that their side conversations or lack of communication bothers you, and the only way to let them know is to tell them. In a really nice, polite way. Something like, 'You appear to have made a decision that I wasn't a part of, and I was wondering why you didn't want or need my input.' That should open the door to conversation. If they are truly unaware, they will discuss it. If they don't care, they'll simply tell you that it wasn't anything you needed to concern yourself with, or they thought it was a decision they were qualified to make themselves.

Working in groups and committees doesn't have to be difficult. You just have to have an idea about how much or how little you want to participate, how big the project is, and how much information you feel like you need to know. And then communicate it to the rest of the group so they know what to expect from you.