Having just carried out an audit of internal communication channels for a public sector client, I’ve been struck, once again, by a bizarre, and frequently seen contradiction.

In answer to the question: “How would you prefer to be informed of changes”, a whopping 76% of respondents voted for face-to-face communication. Of those 76%, some 68% wanted that communication to come from their immediate line managers.

However, when we looked into the communication department’s communication method of choice, they prioritised:

- lunch meetings with the CEO
- email bulletins.

In fact, as the change programme gathered pace and brought with it 'right sizing' and major structure changes, these two methods fast became the only 'official' channels. Sadly team briefings led by line managers, once a norm, had faded to sporadic bursts.

It’s perhaps understandable that a number of line managers and supervisors had taken a backward step when faced with extremely difficult message management. But in this case, it was soon very clear that abdication on this scale reflected a deep-seated leadership issue. Their CEO, in 'Hero Leader' guise, was clearly undermining them. They had also lost faith in the board and were simply stepping aside by pressing the forward and cc buttons. These finding were supported by recent employee survey results.

So what’s the problem with communicating by email?

There clearly isn’t a single answer to this question but a glance at this famous learning effectiveness pyramid illustrates the power of face-to-face interaction with warm-blooded peers. 

 
 The simple fact is that top down, 'push' communication, usually delivered by email these days, is synonymous with lecturing. It's largely ineffective and simply reinforces one-way communication.

We all learn much more effectively in interpersonal environments, when we’re involved and can interact with others. This is one of the reasons why line managers and immediate supervisors are increasingly important communicators. Employees are enlightened and reassured by the example being set as well as the opportunity provided for face-to-face discussion, debate and reflection.

We all appreciate the merits of electronic communication and many of us have been seduced by the sensuous curves of the blackberry handheld which seems to share our lives. But despite the simple temptation of 'compose, click and send' and the sophisticated charms of new-wave social media tools and techniques there really is no replacement for good, old fashioned, face-to-face, eyeball-to-eyeball communication, particularly during tricky times. 

About Ian Buckingham

Ian Buckingham ian@by2w.co.uk is the founder of the Bring Yourself 2 Work Engagement Fellowship. He is the author of Brand Engagement – How Employees Make or Break Brands.

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