#TimelyCommunication

12th August 2024

अविस्तरम् असंदिग्धम् अविलम्बितम् अव्यथम् | उरःस्थम् कण्ठगम् वाक्यम् वर्तते मध्यमे स्वरम् || Valmiki Ramayan 4.-3-31

Listening, Short and precise, Clear, Timely, Firm, Speech coming from chest and throat and conveying in comfortable middle pitch are the first seven attributes of effective communication skill, elaborated by Lord Ram as the characteristics of Hanuman’s speech.

Skill 3 – अविलम्बितम् – Not Delayed ie Timely Communication

Vilambitham means delayed. Avilambitham means not delayed ie timely.

it's crucial to ensure that your communication is timely, relevant, and effective. If you're too early or too late, you risk losing the attention of the recipient or having them forget about you altogether. But, if you strike at the right moment, you can establish a connection and start building a relationship that could lead to achieving your objectives eventually. A slight pause before finishing an announcement can help to build a sense of anticipation in one's audience.

Timely communication also shows the recipient that you are attentive, responsive, and willing to go the extra mile to meet their needs. It demonstrates that you value their time and are committed to providing them with the information they need in a prompt and efficient manner.

In short, timely communication is a key factor in building trust and credibility with potential customers, and it can mean the difference between a successful customer acquisition and a missed opportunity. So, make sure to keep an eye on the clock and reach out to potential customers at the right time for maximum impact.

Importance of time in email communication

Time is important not only in verbal communication even in non-verbal communication such as email communication. Too early or too late a message takes the sheen away from the message. That is why email systems have an option to prepare the message and schedule a time to deliver the message.

What is #Chronemics?

Chronemics is the study of how time is used in communication. Time perceptions include punctuality, willingness to wait, and interactions. The use of time can affect lifestyles, daily agendas, speed of speech, movements, and how long people are willing to listen.

To reiterate the importance of the power of communication, I shall include here three interesting and powerful speeches that changed the generations.

#TheSpeechThatSavedNike (1972)

Upon graduating from Stanford in 1962, Phil Knight travelled to Japan, where he toured the Onitsuka (now Asics) factory. He was impressed by the speed and quality with which the Japanese company could produce shoes, and he made a deal to sell the Onitsuka Tiger, the company’s signature shoe, in the United States on exclusive basis.

After showing the sneakers to Bill Bowerman, legendary coach, the duo formed Blue Ribbon Sports in 1964. At that time, Knight was working as an accountant and teaching at Portland State University. During his off-hours he began selling the shoes out of the back of his car at regional track meets. In 1967 Bowerman modified the Onitsuka Tiger to create the Tiger Cortez. The sneakers proved highly popular, and by 1969 Blue Ribbon Sports had sold $1 million worth of shoes. That year Knight left his job to focus on the company.

When things were going so well, Blue Ribbon suddenly faced a major crisis, Onitsuka revoked their exclusivity in 1972.

When Blue Ribbon staff received the news, the team went into panic. Phil Knight had prepared a speech for them, but before speaking, he decided to leave his notes behind and speak from the heart. This is what he spoke:

What I’m trying to say is, we have them right where we want them. This is the moment we’ve been waiting for, our moment. Our supplier Onitsuka has limited us for years (…). Who among you is not tired of that? It’s time to face the facts. Whether we win or lose, it will be on our terms, with our ideas, with our brands. We sold two million USD last year, all thanks to you (…). Let’s not see this as a crisis; let’s see it as our liberation. The day of our independence. Yes, it will be tough, I won’t lie to you. We’re definitely going to war, folks, but we know the terrain, and that’s why I feel in my heart that this is a war we can win. And if we win, when we win, I see great things for us on the other side of this victory. We’re still alive, folks, we’re still alive…

The message was so successful that a few months later, Blue Ribbon released their first original sneaker onto the market: the Nike Cortez. The rest is history

Knight’s speech was relevant, to the point, clear, timely, firm & motivational. Let us see the next attribute avyatham ie firmness in our next episode.

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#PositiveNewsPage

There are many inspirational stories from Paris Olympics.  This week’s positive news is about one such athlete and he is Noah Lyles.

Noah Lyles won Men’s 100m sprint. Noah Lyles’ gold medal in the men’s 100m etched his name in history, proved anyone who had questioned him wrong.

Not long after Lyles won, he put up a post on X (formerly Twitter) that said: “I have Asthma, allergies, dyslexia, ADD, anxiety, and Depression. But I will tell you that what you have does not define what you can become. Why Not You!”. I did further studies to find out more about this curious and inspirational message.

Lyles has always been open about his struggles with mental health. In 2020, as he could only compete in small, local competitions because of the worldwide pandemic, he told Olympics.com that he dealt with depression.

“It got to the point where I was just so deep, deep inside of myself that I was just putting on a face and doing what I needed to do. My family came down for Christmas and my Mum was really starting to worry about me. So that’s when I started ringing my personal therapist on a regular basis and it was going well for a time, but once coronavirus hit and the Black Lives Matter movement started happening, it created the perfect storm,” he said.

Lyles went beyond addressing those with mental health. The World Health Organization estimates that 262million people worldwide deal with asthma and that 30-40 per cent of the world has some kind of allergies. Lyles is saying to everyone in that group that it doesn’t have to hold you back and that you’re not alone.

When you have a dream to chase, nothing can stop you'

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