Week 1 entry

The communication channels that carry organizational messages include face-to-face conversation, telephones, email, public speeches, memos, real-time videoconferencing and letters.  In general, I feel that there is always a room for improvement for everyone as far as your communications skills is concerned. I do not think anyone is a perfect communicator. Personally, I feel I am reasonably good at face-to-face conversation. The area I need to improve on is the phone conversation. It is often difficult to judge the mood and availability of the person on the other line before you call. Also, you cannot accurately read the person's feelings on the phone as opposed to in person. I believe you can get a sense of what the other person is thinking sometimes by their tone, however, it is not as reliable as their facial expressions.

I generally tend to communicate more through face-to-face as I prefer that style of communication better. However, in-person communication can sometimes lead to conflicts and disagreements. It also depends on a particular issue you are trying to communicate when you decide what mode of communication  you want to use. I feel that I need to communicate more through email so that you can have the documentation as a proof in case something goes wrong. It is also a good idea to summarize what you have talked in person or on the phone in writing to clarify and confirm everyone is on the same page.