Timing is everything

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." This quote by George Bernard Shaw is one of my favorite quotes on communication.

Too often, people think they have successfully passed along or exchanged information, but the message is either not received, or perceived differently from what was meant. This ‘illusion’ of communication can be very damaging.

There are several things that can block or otherwise get in the way of a message being received and responded to as intended. Timing is a BIG one.

When we were young and living with our parents, most of us pretty quickly figured out the right and wrong time to ask for something. Asking if you could have a sleepover, or go to a concert, should be done before or after your parents saw your report card, depending on how school was going. For me, asking for a new baseball glove tended to go much better after all my chores were done and the wood was split and piled. It is amazing how different a response to the same question can be depending on timing. Posing the question: "Should I order a pizza for us and our friends?" at 5pm on a Saturday gets a very different response versus when the same question is asked a mere eight hours later...??

Personal examples aside, how we time our communication is extremely relevant to how we go about our day-to-day business and interact with our clients and coworkers.

There are endless demands on the time and attention of almost everyone we work with. With the abundance of communication sent and received daily, how do we cut through the noise? While there is no silver bullet, I have personally seen much better results when I considered the timing of my communication.?

Being more thoughtful about the timing of your communication can significantly increase your odds of achieving the desired outcome.

Here are a few of the rules of thumb that apply to both internal and client communication:

·????????Share good news going into the weekend. Going into a break on a high note and as baggage free as possible helps people return fully recharged.??

·????????Bad news doesn't age well. Get it on the table as soon as possible and through direct communication (a phone call or an in-person/virtual meeting is best) Slipping bad news in with other communication that could be overlooked or lost doesn't usually turn out well.??

·????????Unless it is urgent and needs immediate action (i.e. the type of bad news mentioned above), save the "not so good” news—or any items that require significant attention, thought or action—for early in the week.

·????????Lots of folks keep a weekly “to-do list” and scramble to get all their tasks off that list by the end of the week. Sending out a communication on a Friday afternoon increases the likelihood that it will get lost in the shuffle.

·????????Always consider the best timing for your receiver. For example, if I know someone is heading off on vacation, or is already on vacation, I will write an email but schedule it to be sent on the second or third day after their vacation ends.

·????????Learn your clients’ key stress or decision times throughout the year. For one client of mine it was just before their annual performance review, they would ask me to remind them of all the great things that were accomplished throughout the year, and suggest new things they could push forward for the next year.?

·????????And last, but far from least, note the work routines and times that people are usually available and in the best mood for a discussion. Use that information to strategically plan the timing of your communication.

??????Investing the time to learn and understand what timing works best for your colleagues and clients will pay off many times over.?

Don't leave timing to chance, make timing work for you ... it saves time!

Sean Hanlon is CEO of Dillon Consulting, a proudly Canadian, employee-owned professional consulting firm specializing in planning, engineering, environmental science and management. Dillon Consulting partners with clients to provide committed, collaborative and inventive solutions to complex, multi-faceted projects.