Where works best for you?

The quick answer to the title question this time is:

It all depends – on the person and the task in hand.

Last week’s pod was about harnessing the power of speech.  This week, the focus is on where we do that for work – in fact, where we communicate generally in the course of our jobs and how those places can:

·         create or escalate conflict and

·         help us resolve or manage it.

The myth we bust on the show is that ‘Tech lets us work anywhere’.  It flows from the quote (attributed to American social theorist, Jeremy Rifkin, that:

‘Space and time have been annihilated in the digital age’.

(Spoiler alert for next week!)

In the case of space, I understand his thinking.  We can, after all, cross continents in a click and talk (physically and virtually) to almost anyone, almost anywhere in the world.  My issue with this quote is the use of the word ‘annihilated’.  To me, that suggests all communication barriers created by physical distance are now nonexistent.   

Of course, I might be misunderstanding Rifkin’s meaning.  I’ve only heard and read his words – I haven’t had the chance to question him on them, because of the distance (including the physical space) between us; but that’s my point.

As I see it, far from being extinct, the effect of distance on our interactions is alive and evolving.  Yes, we have opportunities to connect which our parents couldn’t even have imagined – but behind some of those are obstacles they never had to think about.  For instance, technology has allowed thousands of people to work from home in recent years (something even I wasn’t able to do at the beginning of my career!).  There’s no question that helped a lot of businesses survive the pandemic (and beyond); but it has also meant we’ve had to deal with interruptions (like kids and animals) which just wouldn’t be around in the office.  On balance, I think that’s often a price worth paying for the benefits of flexibility – but it’s one we still need to be aware of.

On the pod, I home in on two elements of every workspace (wherever it happens to be) which can create interpersonal issues, with the help of:

·         Dr. Jennifer Veitch of the National Research Council of Canada, who is an expert on the relationship between lighting and health and

·         Julian Treasure, the expert on how sound affects us, who we heard from in Episode 1.

I also share my two most extreme experiences of working in places which definitely didn’t work best – for me or my job at the time!:

·         Trying to be a lawyer in a telesales office and

·         Broadcasting live next to a car-park – while it was being repaired …!

The tips I’ll give you here this week will expand on making your workplace work better for communication – including anyone interacting at a distance:

1 It’s all about power and responsibility:

On the pod, we talk about the role of control over our physical environment – and the individual responsibility for making the right choices.  The good news is that, if you don’t have the space to offer different areas for different types of work, lighting and sound systems which give people more individual autonomy in shared spaces are becoming more widely available – and affordable.

I can’t make specific recommendations, but I can tell you I’ve seen systems in action which allow people to control the lighting and soundscape in a very tightly defined section of a shared office – without bothering anybody else!  The potential for directed lighting is is impressive enough – but as someone with one foot in the audio industry, I have to say, the ability to direct sound so specifically that someone working a couple of metres away can’t hear it is amazing!  (If that had been on the market thirty-plus years ago, I’d have paid for it myself!)

2 Mother Nature really does know best:

When I started seriously researching communication, back in 2008/09, there was already a pretty robust body of research showing the importance of natural light and sound for human wellbeing – including at work.  Natural light has been shown to improve job satisfaction –and views of nature (either through a window, or by having plants in the office), enhance the effect.

Bringing the outside in reduces tension within a team – and because positive feelings are infectious, that helps them deal more effectively with customers/clients etc.

If you don’t have easy access to nature again, the tech which can fill the gap is becoming more affordable – and systems which, for example, complement the available natural light can help you save on energy costs.

3 Are you sitting comfortably?

This is a question which is very close to home for me at the moment, because my lovely, comfy  office chair, which I’ve had for more than twenty years, is sinking!  I start off in the perfect position to look at my screen, use my keyboard and so on – but within a few minutes, I’m looking up at my desk!

We all know that physical discomfort is a major distraction; but a chair that’s past its best, or a desk which isn’t quite big enough, or at the right height, seem so trivial, we put up with them.  The trouble is that, as we heard from Dr. Michael Proulx on the show a few weeks ago, our attention resources are finite – and when some of those precious resources are being drained by discomfort, it can have a real knock-on effect on how we feel – and so, how we deal with other people.

The most distracting discomfort, in my experience, is pain – and for some people, that’s the result of the wrong furniture.  So it’s well worth asking yourself – and your team – this question.

4 THERE’S NO NEED TO SHOUT!

 On the pod, Julian talks about meeting rooms which really ‘aren’t fit for purpose’, because there’s far too much reverberation of sound in the space.

The issue is too many hard, parallel surfaces.  As there’s nothing to absorb the sound, it bounces back and forth, ringing on so that it builds up, layer upon layer.

There are acoustic treatments available; but if you don’t have the budget – or you rent your premises and the landlord won’t let you make the change, you can improve the situation, with some simple soft furnishings.  Curtains, carpets, cushions – even padded chairs – all help to soak up sound, which cuts reverb times – and makes it so much easier to talk and listen to one another.  It might also help with the last tip as well.

5 Sound, lights, camera – action!

It’s easy to imagine that remote meetings get rid of environmental issues – and sometimes, they do; but sometimes, you end up with double trouble – or worse! – multiple environmental factors, all capable of affecting everyone involved in the interaction.

The most direct example I can give you is a video call.  So often, companies invest in the best cameras they can afford – then spend what’s left of the budget on mics and speakers – and house the whole lot in a room that looks and sounds like a cave!

One issue is that as well as being (as I say on this week’s show) ‘awkwardly individual’, we humans are amazingly adaptable.  So when we work with lighting or sound that aren’t the best, we get used to it.  That doesn’t mean it isn’t having longer-term effects – but it does mean we stop noticing it on a day-to-day basis.

Anyone outside that environment, though, is likely to notice it – and find it difficult. 

I completely understand why anyone would prioritise the ‘video’ for a ‘video conferencing setup’; but here’s a piece of advice from that industry I’ve had a foot in for the last nineteen years:

Start with the sound.  Expressions and body language may be our oldest form of communication (as I said on last week’s show); and they are important for conveying complex emotional messages; but when it comes to a conflict, or a collaboration, we need more.  So start with the acoustic of the space and any background noise. 

Next, consider how the room is lit.  Any issues stopping you seeing people on-screen are going to become obvious pretty quickly; but are there any shadows etc which might get in the way of those at the end of the line seeing you?

Once you know the room works as well as it can for you, your team and the purpose of video calls, you can think about the kit – starting with the mics and speakers.

You need the best you can afford -  – because if the cameras aren’t great, or they fail, you can carry on the meeting; but if the sound is poor, or it goes down, unless everyone has access to an expert signer, you are (to use a technical term), stuffed!. 

I’m not suggesting the cameras should then become the afterthought.  Again, you need the best you can afford. 

None of this is about trying to achieve perfection.  That’s impossible – because objective perfection doesn’t exist!  This, like everything else I talk about, is just about doing the best you can with the resources you have available.  Always, it comes down to investing in conversation with your stakeholders.  That obviously takes time – which, as I hinted earlier, is our next topic.

In the meantime, if you need help with any aspect of conflict management at work, come and talk to me!  All my details are on the website.