Parallel Communication

Most of our communication in the business world is done on a one-to-one basis or through announcements in a conference setting.  Consider using another effective way to communicate and get connected with your people, customers and business partners’ - parallel communication.

Parallel communication means that you are talking to people while you are doing something else together. For example if you have difficulty talking with your teenage children, you might want to join them in cleaning their messy rooms. While working together, take this opportunity to chat with them.  Ask about their friends, what they are doing in school; ask their opinions about the things happening around them.  Usually they will open up the communication channel between you. Hiking, playing games, dining, watching games and movies together are all good opportunities for parallel communication where you can strengthen the bond between you and your children and friends.

Team building activities at work are forms of parallel communication as well. If you have just announced a difficult business decision, and worried about team morale, having a lunch with your key players is a good way to survey their issues and explain the reasons behind your company's difficult decision.

Lunch and dinner are good and commonly used parallel communication settings. While eating delicious food and drinking tasty wines, people are more relaxed and open to honest discussion. They tend to share more information than they do in a conference room setting.  More personal alignments are discovered and people are more interested in doing business with each other. It is no wonder that many contracts are written and signed on cocktail napkins!

Effective communication is not only about what you say, it is also how you say it and where you say it. Mixing tough topics in a more relaxed setting, while people's interest is on more pleasant and satisfying actions, can help your message penetrate faster and you can get real feedback from them without little resistance.