Handle Less, Do More

HANDLE LESS, DO MORE By Dianna Booher

Welcome to the information age where facts and figures bombard us in increasing speed, frequency, and sophistication. Where each year between 50-55,000 books are published in the U.S. Where each week it is not uncommon to get 49 faxes — at 5 pages each in length. Where each day one can easily receive 75-100 e-malls and 25-30 voice mails.

Let's face it, if you're not in constant control while navigating down the information highway, you're likely to get run over by others passing you by. And one of the major byproducts of this proliferation of information is mountainous paperwork it produces.

The reasons for wanting to reduce your paperwork load are painfully obvious. Paperwork costs time, energy, and money. Surprisingly enough, we tend to miss the equally obvious when it comes to our own paperwork-generating habits. The most effective way to reduce your paperwork load is to produce, send and request less paperwork yourself.

The following tips will help you do just that: identify and eliminate unnecessary paperwork and handle "must-do" paperwork efficiently and effectively.

Use Response Cards and Lines. The piece of paper you send to others often requires them to generate a piece of paper in return which may mean a lengthy wait while they compose their response. Make it quick and easy for others to answer your memos, letters, or reports by typing the response you want, along with a space for a check mark and/or signature, on a separate mail-back card or at the bottom of an in-house memo.

Upon receiving their response, note it in your records and toss the response card. Less time. Less paperwork. Less hassle. More effective business communications.

Learn When to Talk and When to Write. In many situations, talking will better achieve your objectives than writing. Not everything has to be in writing to be formal, understood, or meaningful.

Giving mild reprimands, sending trial balloons, negotiating small details, getting immediate feedback, getting reactions to your messages and conveying tone are all better done in person than by pen.

Use — Don't Abuse — Electronic Message Systems. E-mail makes it easy and convenient to send your messages to the whole world by pressing a key. Don't. You'll only irritate people by sending them unnecessary information; continue doing this and they won't pay attention to truly important messages you send.

And don't let the informality of e-mail lull you into composing careless, disorganized and unclear messages. Think before you write, not as you write.

Eliminate Most Cover Letters. Most cover letters communicate only the obvious: "I’m sending you something. You now have it." If you must have a record of submission, simply put a "Submitted to ..." and "Submitted by…" along with the date on the title page.

Simply send the information. Anything else is either understood or unnecessary.

Be Informal in Your Responses. Every memo or letter you receive does not merit a formal response. Picking up the phone may be quicker than writing. Or you may be able simply to add your comments in a margin or on a sticky-note and pass the document on, saving everyone time.

People aren't nearly as impressed by formality as by accuracy, speed, and thoroughness.

Forget the Idea That "More is Better." More is not better. There is little correlation between quantity and quality. Don’t get trapped into thinking the more money you want customers to spend, the more detail you should give them justify the price. Or the more serious the problem, the more detail you should give to support your solution.

Consider the importance of your message and tailor your comments accordingly. Less can mean more — more readers, more insight, more impact.

Although minimizing paperwork will require revamping old habits, the end justifies the means. You'll find yourself pushing less paper and spending more focused time on the important paper you do handle.

Dianna Booher is CEO of Booher Consultants, a communications consulting firm in Dallas that offers training in effective writing, oral presentations, interpersonal skills, and customer service communications. She is keynote speaker and has written 35 books, including Communicate with Confidence! [McGraw-Hill]. For more information, call (800) 342-6621.