Researchers
at Vanderbilt and Rice Universities set up identical tense coaching scenarios
in which one pair communicated over the phone and face-to-face, while the other
pair used only e-mail.
Results
of the experiment:
- The phone/face-to-face pair managed to resolve their differences, but
- The e-mail-only pair more often ended up with insults, anger and breakdowns in
communication.
Besides the obvious differences in communication methods, researchers noted one factor that's the main contributor to breakdowns when subjects use e-mail. It's something called a "lack of cotemporality."
The
lesson: Face-to-face, when possible, is usually the better approach.
DIGGING
DEEPER
Coaching
employees to be more effective, productive and motivated is challenging for
even the most experienced managers, but it can be done. For help, read the
Executive Report: Coaching Skills for Managers and Supervisors

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