Communications Therapy: Who Needs Therapy – I do, I do…

You may have caught an earlier blog of mine “Unplugging for Cancun” which talked about the aggravation factor that so many of us experience when we can’t reach someone or communicate with them when we need to. The other day I was taking my German Shepherd “Sir Toby” for Pet Therapy Certification classes.

While doing a training visit at a large metropolitan hospital with the Pet Therapy Dog Trainer and his Golden Retriever ” La Vie”, I got to experience a hospital environment from a totally different perspective. I took the opportunity to observe how hospital staff personnel were scurrying about with a range of multi-media communication devices. Everyone was so caught up in their own world and immediate need that many of them were losing total sight of what was happening literally right next to them. Believe it or not, the pet therapy dog was actually the one thing that caught many people’s attention and brought a smile of happiness and a moment of relief that was reflected in their faces. This was pet therapy happening in a much different way and was reaching even more people than just the intended patients that we were there to see.

This hospital situation reminds me of how many of us get so absorbed with specific work items and projects that we lose sight of the bigger picture of what is happening around us with our family, friends and personal life.

So last week my Blog discussed contextual awareness and productivity. It focused on the notion that we could actually become much more productive if we leveraged some of the smart collaborative tools like the Avaya Aura Flare Experience.

The essence of this blog is to inject the notion of a completely 180 degree perspective which suggests that people actually can benefit from stepping away from over collaboration and over communication environments. When speaking with an IT Director recently he helped me to realize a very important phenomenon that continues to plague so many business people today. People are getting stressed out from “over communication”. It’s becoming nearly impossible to turn off the continuous stream of communication interruptions. These communication interruptions can actually keep us from accomplishing productive and focused work. The very communication devices and communication forums that are meant to help us – can actually be pushing us over the edge.

As people are teetering on the edge and looking for ways to re-focus and keep their head above water with their jobs – what they really are in need of is – “communication therapy”. I would envision this communication therapy to be a pleasant session where you learn to minimize and reduce the interruptions caused by too many communication tools. You would learn to actually shut things down for short periods of time and use that time to deeply focus. It is through deeply focusing in this no-interruption mode that we can produce our best work.

I ask you – how many of you are ready and wanting this communication therapy? Don’t worry, therapy is actually a positive thing and it can do wonders for you. I can hear the calming voice saying “Step away from the Blackberry, release that urge to check your email at 2:00am”

Sign me up – what about you??

Diane Royer is senior marketing manager of Avaya Client Services. Her focus is directing thought leadership for Avaya Client Services and integrating services into Avaya solution launches. Diane’s more than 30 years of business experience includes telecommunications marketing, sales and field operations.  A native New Yorker, Diane holds a master of business administration from Adelphi University and a bachelor of business administration with honors from Baruch, City University of New York.  Follow her on Twitter @ Royer_Edge