Are you using the most effective and

appropriate “communication modality”

for any given situation?

I’ll explain what I mean.

In this day and age,

there are multiple modalities

(and to be certain,

more coming in the future)…

Here are just a few on what I call

THE COMMUNICATION LADDER™.

A lot of people in life and work

have gotten lazy or are using

the inappropriate modality

for what they need to say.

A classic example would be kids

breaking up by text. We groan.

But are we also falling short in our

COMMUNICATION COURAGE™?

Are your team members messaging

a key client, customer or colleague

in a situation when a phone call

would be far more effective?

Or are they resorting to a video meeting

when a live-in person dinner

would very likely seal the deal?

How much is slinking

to a lower rung costing you?

Last Friday 1/31, I was in Las Vegas

to speak to 130 members

of the sales & leadership team

at Creative Financial Staffing,

a fantastic organization with a

truly engaged, smart and lively culture.

Helmed by President & COO Gary Irwin,

this is a group of professionals who

truly care about their clients

and their candidates.

In our prep call, Gary and I

spoke about this phenomenon

and as part of the 3-hour

learning experience I crafted for CFS,

I shared this concept of

THE COMMUNICATION LADDER™.

Of course there are situations

when intentionally moving down

a rung or two makes sense

and saves time, but just be mindful

that it’s the result of a

well-considered choice vs. a habit.

Risk Forward & Ladder Up,

P.S. And yes, yes–– often a message (particularly a personal text) is far more immediate and intimate than an email. But be careful. That can also backfire. The other week, a colleague’s daughter (whom I didn’t know, had never met and who had gotten a hold of my private cell number) sent me a five-paragraph TEXT along with her resume, asking for work.