1. Tuesday, July 9 Martin England marty.england@unh.edu UNH Information Technology

2. Who Am I?

3. What Is Noise? Noise is anything that interferes with the message.

4. Types of Noise Three types External (caused by neither the sender or receiver) aka channel noise Internal (caused by receiver) aka psychological noise Semantic (caused by sender)

5. External Noise - Examples Radio static or the snowy television People talking during a presentation (shhhhh) Lawnmower outside a lecture hall Telephone wires in a nature photo Neighbors weed-whacker on a Saturday morning while your wife is telling you its time to go to the dump

6. Internal Noise - Examples Physical distractions brought on by recurring illnesses, jet lag, or even the onset of a midlife crisis. Often results from preconceived notions we bring to conversations, such as racial stereotypes, reputations, biases, and assumptions. Wandering minds during a lecture

7. Semantic Noise - Examples Lengthy, meandering messages that neverevereverend Bad grammar - Aint college, great!?!?!??! ; Messages that leave no stone unturned (too much info) Messages that leave every stone unturned (not enough info) Messages that are sent too often Messages with excessive technical jargon (trust me on this one I work in IT)

8. Semantic Noise - Examples

9. How Semantic Noise Impacts Communications Messages that Are too long readers wont finish, or worse, wont start Contain excessive typos readers start to mentally edit instead of thinking about the message content Contain too much info reader becomes overloaded Contain too little info reader is forced to seek other sources for the information Sent too often people tune out (writer who cries wolf) Contain too much technical jargon makes people perceive department as arrogant (great source of grumpiness) Are sent at the wrong time; too early or too late - too much time to react, or not enough time to react

10. How Noise Impacts Communications

11. How can we reduce noise in our communications? Worry about the noise you can control! Semantics! Plan the Message Craft the Message Deliver the Message Listen

12. Plan the Message Identify What needs to be said? What is the goal of your message? Who should receive the message? When should you send the message and how often? Which channels should I use? Who should create the message? Who should send the message? How will you solicit feedback?

13. Craft the Message Be brief. Stick to the point. Use common language. Avoid technical jargon. Be concise. Limit into to what reader needs to know, and what they need to do. Use proper branding! UNH logos, fonts. Evaluate the message prior to distribution. Seek feedback. Include For more info link or contact info.

14. Craft the Message Word Selection Dont use a five dollar word when a .25 cent word will do. M. Twain

15. Craft the Message Word Selection II Use familiar words in place of the unfamiliar Use concrete words in place of the abstract Use short words in place of long Use single words in place of several

16. Great Communicator

17. Craft the Message - Simplify Simple messages are better Never assume your audience knows everything If necessary (and appropriate), provide links to addition information to help keep your message short Limit your scope to one or two points

18. Craft the Message - Short Shorter messages are better Most people read the first two paragraphs of a message, and then make a decision on whether or not to read the rest Put all of the most important information up front

19. Deliver the Message Consider Is this the right time? Am I sending this to the right people? Has someone other than me (assuming youre the author) reviewed this message prior to sending? Can my audience respond?

20. Listen! Solicit feedback: Use surveys (Qualtrics), focus groups, questionnaires Engage: Use feedback to inform future communications Respond: Address all inquiries and comments

21. Questions? Martin England Marty.england@unh.edu Signals.unh.edu