During the Second World War there was a phone in the Cabinet War Rooms in Whitehall that Winston Churchill used to speak to the US President Franklin D. Roosevelt on key issues. It was located in a small cupboard that was made to look like a toilet for Winston Churchill to preserve its secrecy! They mainly communicated via encrypted telegrams but on occasion they needed to speak in person. The phone line used top secret American Technology called SIGSALY – see this article Churchill’s top secret line to the President. “It was a system that digitised the human voice, mixed this with a randomly generated noise and then sent the combined signal via radio waves across the Atlantic. Once received, the random noise was separated from the digital voice signal, which was then converted back into recognisable human voice using a vocoder.” The UK terminal was installed in a sub sub-basement of Selfridge’s department store in central London with an extension to the War Rooms and became operational in July 1943. Allegedly neither leader wanted to be seen as initiating the call so their aides would open the call and then get them both on at the same time. This may have been true, but SIGSALY in fact relied on “perfect synchronisation at both ends of the chain.” This way they were able to resolve critical issues and manage the United States involvement in the war. “Churchill and Roosevelt developed both a positive working relationship as well as a real friendship during the war. They occasionally had differences of opinion, and there were some causes of tension between the senior political and military leadership of both countries, but they were still able to work together and to eventually triumph against their shared enemies. The existence of a cutting-edge technological link within easy reach of both leaders underlines how valuable – and valued – this alliance was.”
There is, despite the vast changes in communications technology from the 1940’s to the present day, still an uncanny link to current professional practice. When you can’t meet in person sometimes a phone call is needed to “cut to the chase” and resolve an issue. This week, for example, I acquired a complex and urgent matter that needed immediate resolution with a third party suppler. It was hard to work out exactly what had happened from the email chain. Nevertheless, I tried to email but to no avail; so I simply picked up my mobile phone and called up - and agreed a way forward. Last year I helped to close a particularly difficult matter with a phone call to the lawyer on the other side – who was travelling and on holiday but still helped resolve the final issues. Internally you can use a Teams call (not just Teams messaging) for the same purpose.
See this blog The Importance of Telephone Communication in Business which comments:
“Telephone communication may be slower than its new-media counterparts, but it still has benefits in an increasingly impersonal world. The telephone call, which connects a caller with a human voice, creates a connection that other media may lack and is still an important business component.”
And observes:
“On the telephone, the tone you use gives dimension and emotion to words, increasing the effectiveness of the communication. Certain body language, such as smiling and standing while talking, may come through in the conversation. Texting and emails are simply words open to interpretation by the receiver, without the benefit of voice tone or body language.”
See also this blog which says “A pleasant phone conversation with a company representative increases the likelihood of a consumer developing a positive relationship with your brand.”
and cites a US survey 60% of Customers Prefer to Call Small Businesses on the Phone.
While this article The Importance of Telephone Communication cites benefits including Rapid Results and Convenient Communication - “Telecommunications workers don’t just use their words to communicate, they also use their tone of voice. This can make the difference between misunderstanding and reassurance, helping the customer to make a connection with the person, and with the company they represent. Phone conversations also allow for small talk and follow-ups that email chains don’t, helping a rapport to build.”
This Harvard Business Review article Research: Type Less, Talk More supports the theme. It commences “because communication also involves maintaining social relationships that are critical for our happiness, health, and the smooth running of a business, reaching out to others requires deciding how best to do so. And in this regard, the value of voice is key.” and cites the results of experiments which show that “A sense of connection does not seem to come from being able see another person but rather from hearing another person’s voice. This is consistent with several other findings suggesting that a person’s voice is really the signal that creates understanding and connection.”and “Being able to see another person, in short, did not make people feel any more connected than if they simply talked with them. A sense of connection does not seem to come from being able see another person but rather from hearing another person’s voice.”
See also this Forbes article The Power Of A Phone Call which says “A phone call is the most intimate form of connection a person can have with a brand, and it remains one of the most effective ways businesses can break through the noise to attract, engage and support customers. Human interaction cannot be mirrored with emails, SMS/texts or “live” chat bots.”
It is going to be hard even for artificial intelligence (AI) to quite mimic the richness and tone of a phone call between two human beings. Some will say texting is the answer as it is immediate and can convey information and mood. But for really critical conversations especially in a business context I advocate remembering the humble phone call.
Returning to Winston Churchill he said that “The difference between mere management and leadership is communication.”
And the American author and speaker Simon Sinek commented “Emails get reactions. Phone calls start conversations.”
While Richard Branson shrewdly observes “The quality of business communications has become poorer in recent years as people avoid phone calls and face-to-face meetings, I can only assume, in some misguided quest for efficiency.”
So, over the next few days look for opportunities to “pick up the phone”.
There is, despite the vast changes in communications technology from the 1940’s to the present day, still an uncanny link to current professional practice. When you can’t meet in person sometimes a phone call is needed to “cut to the chase” and resolve an issue. This week, for example, I acquired a complex and urgent matter that needed immediate resolution with a third party suppler. It was hard to work out exactly what had happened from the email chain. Nevertheless, I tried to email but to no avail; so I simply picked up my mobile phone and called up - and agreed a way forward. Last year I helped to close a particularly difficult matter with a phone call to the lawyer on the other side – who was travelling and on holiday but still helped resolve the final issues. Internally you can use a Teams call (not just Teams messaging) for the same purpose.
See this blog The Importance of Telephone Communication in Business which comments:
“Telephone communication may be slower than its new-media counterparts, but it still has benefits in an increasingly impersonal world. The telephone call, which connects a caller with a human voice, creates a connection that other media may lack and is still an important business component.”
And observes:
“On the telephone, the tone you use gives dimension and emotion to words, increasing the effectiveness of the communication. Certain body language, such as smiling and standing while talking, may come through in the conversation. Texting and emails are simply words open to interpretation by the receiver, without the benefit of voice tone or body language.”
See also this blog which says “A pleasant phone conversation with a company representative increases the likelihood of a consumer developing a positive relationship with your brand.”
and cites a US survey 60% of Customers Prefer to Call Small Businesses on the Phone.
While this article The Importance of Telephone Communication cites benefits including Rapid Results and Convenient Communication - “Telecommunications workers don’t just use their words to communicate, they also use their tone of voice. This can make the difference between misunderstanding and reassurance, helping the customer to make a connection with the person, and with the company they represent. Phone conversations also allow for small talk and follow-ups that email chains don’t, helping a rapport to build.”
This Harvard Business Review article Research: Type Less, Talk More supports the theme. It commences “because communication also involves maintaining social relationships that are critical for our happiness, health, and the smooth running of a business, reaching out to others requires deciding how best to do so. And in this regard, the value of voice is key.” and cites the results of experiments which show that “A sense of connection does not seem to come from being able see another person but rather from hearing another person’s voice. This is consistent with several other findings suggesting that a person’s voice is really the signal that creates understanding and connection.”and “Being able to see another person, in short, did not make people feel any more connected than if they simply talked with them. A sense of connection does not seem to come from being able see another person but rather from hearing another person’s voice.”
See also this Forbes article The Power Of A Phone Call which says “A phone call is the most intimate form of connection a person can have with a brand, and it remains one of the most effective ways businesses can break through the noise to attract, engage and support customers. Human interaction cannot be mirrored with emails, SMS/texts or “live” chat bots.”
It is going to be hard even for artificial intelligence (AI) to quite mimic the richness and tone of a phone call between two human beings. Some will say texting is the answer as it is immediate and can convey information and mood. But for really critical conversations especially in a business context I advocate remembering the humble phone call.
Returning to Winston Churchill he said that “The difference between mere management and leadership is communication.”
And the American author and speaker Simon Sinek commented “Emails get reactions. Phone calls start conversations.”
While Richard Branson shrewdly observes “The quality of business communications has become poorer in recent years as people avoid phone calls and face-to-face meetings, I can only assume, in some misguided quest for efficiency.”
So, over the next few days look for opportunities to “pick up the phone”.
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