Did you know that the average employee receives about 190 communications a day, according to a Pitney-Bowes survey? And that was several years ago! That’s a lot of paper, voicemail and e-mail to open, review and respond to. When you dissect the quality of that information avalanche, though, you find many communications that shouldn't have been sent at all.

The problem? Information overload combined with poor time management and organizational skills can jeopardize timely, effective communications upon which productivity, morale, well-being and client satisfaction rest. Just look at how many people talk about being stretched thin and stressed out in today's seemingly chaotic workplace. What's more, corporate information technology systems are pushed to the limit by an overload of non-essential communications. The good news? Each of us is part of the solution.

Here are a few suggestions on how you, regardless of your title or place in an organization, can foster more effective communication and help reduce information overload.

Written communication

Face-to-face communication

Telephone and voicemail communication

Electronic communication

Related articles & links

Written Communication

How many memos, reports, bulletins, letters, messages and other written communications did you receive this week? How many did you send? Was it well composed, and inclusive of the most important information? The following tips on communicating effectively using written communication can be your measuring stick:

Usage tips for written communication:

• Reserve written communications for information that can easily and appropriately be received by people who do not need immediate input or which requires immediate feedback.

• Realize that written communication is not always read as soon as it is received. Does your information need immediate action? If so, don’t use this medium.

• Evaluate your audience. Do they have mailboxes or in-boxes to receive mail – or will your message be posted on a bulletin board?

• Measure your timeline against the amount of time it takes to prepare, approve and distribute your information in written form, versus making a quick phone call, walking to the next office, or sending an e-mail, if appropriate.

• Assess your writing ability honestly. Written communication can be a valuable way to share information with others, but can decrease credibility if riddled with typos or incorrect grammar.

• Outline key points before you create the final draft. Proof-read the final before sending it off.

• Draft the piece, then review it with the intention of reducing the word count by at least 25 percent. This will help you eliminate unnecessary language that obscures your key purpose and makes it hard for the recipient to review and understand easily.

Based on numerous studies, employees prefer less formal, face-to-face communications— supplemented rather than replaced by print, electronic, audio or other information media. From the information-sender’s point of view, this face-to-face communication is challenging, since it’s often time consuming and requires us to manage emotional reactions.

Usage tips for face-to-face communication:

• Choose in-person communication when you have to share information that will greatly affect your audience. For example, if the company is laying off workers or merging with another company, don't let employees learn of these developments from the news media or a memo. Make an in-person announcement, backed up by plenty of other information resources.

• Face-to-face communication the best choice for providing performance feedback. Don't substitute online performance review programs for a one-on-one, in-person discussion with an employee about his or her performance. Anything else seems cowardly, may foster resentment and will certainly cultivate a closed culture where important discussion happens behind your back.

• Opt for face-to-face communication to share information that requires immediate attention (if your audience is located in the same space you are). Memos, e-mails, intranet content and voicemail can be easily overlooked or delayed for later consumption.

• Ensure that people are prepared to participate. If they're expected to offer prepared opinions, ensure that they have received background information about the topic under discussion. If it's an announcement that doesn't require their problem-solving, set the agenda for the meeting, then make the key announcement briefly and clearly.

• Be prepared. Ensure that attendees know why they’re there, you’ve got an agenda, you’ve anticipated and rehearsed questions and answers, you’ve identified "next steps" to communicate to your group.

Telephone Communication (and voicemail, too!)

Most employees have access to a phone, and it’s frequently used as a spontaneous way to get or give information. However, this medium is easily abused.

Usage tips for telephone communication:

• Let your voicemail greeting speak for you. Record a daily greeting, letting callers know when you will be available.

• To ensure you cover all points you want to in a phone call or voicemail, write down your key messages before calling. Also, tell your audience how many points you will touch on before launching into your ideas. For example, "I have three ideas I want to share with you about our project…"

• If you leave a voicemail message, be certain to tell the person you’ve called exactly what you want him or her to do. This will help avoid lengthy voicemail tag.

Electronic Communication (including e-mail)

It’s the information age, and e-mail has become the information-sharing tool of choice for many people. Sending information via e-mail has many benefits, but there are also instances where it’s highly inappropriate and can cause significant problems. Here are some tips for using e-mail appropriately:

• In the "Subject" field, write a brief, clear reference to your topic. This is particularly important in the age of irrelevant and SPAM e-mails clogging most users' electronic mail boxes.

• Don’t overuse the Urgent classification. If it’s not urgent, don’t mark it as urgent.

• Be careful no to be too blunt in your messages; e-mail is the coldest of the communication formats because it prohibits the voice tone and body language that help soften communications. As a result, an e-mail message can easily be read as rude or offensive, even if that's not the intent.

• E-mail can be an excellent means of follow-up, such as when used to ensure correct understanding of next steps after a meeting or to provide a regular status update on a project or deliverable.

• If attaching files, make sure you know what your company’s system limits are. If your file is larger, you may want to express mail a disk or break the file into smaller components. For security purposes, most companies have a file size limit to help prevent viruses or hacking.

If you'd like a more detailed version of this article--complete with sections on when and when not to use the various communication modes--review Ivy Sea's tip sheet Information oasis mechanics.

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