Language of the Tribe
While working for a certain company, I requested some integration information from a manager, and got the information in an attached ppt file. I soon noticed that all of the managers used power point presentations to communicate everything. Yes, we had interminable meetings where managers would show a slide show that they would read to us, but also received benefits, project updates and other data in ppt file attachments.
Well, I immediately realized that this was a key to communicating with my manager. And after some observation determined that is was a part of my companies management culture. (And yes, I started creating power point presentation to communicate with them more effectively.)
But this power point preference is not pervasive. I have worked at many companies since where almost no one used power point even when giving presentations. So I have observed that with every company culture, there are communication norms that have developed. And if people work there long enough they don’t even realize that they are creating a PDF file when it is not needed, because all important data comes in a PDF attachment.
For the outsider, or consultant, observing what methods of communication are used, and then responding with the same type or form of communication may open doors and establish you as part of the team faster than just having good information and advice. Adopting the ‘language of the tribe’ so to speak, is a rite of passage that you should not try to avoid.
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