A presentation from the UNH Communications Summit 2013

1. Tuesday, July 9
Martin England – marty.england@unh.edu
UNH Information Technology

2. Who Am I?

3. What Is Noise?
Noise is…
anything that interferes with the message.

4. Types of Noise
Three types
• External (caused by neither the sender or receiver)
aka channel noise
• Internal (caused by receiver) aka psychological noise
• Semantic (caused by sender)

5. External Noise - Examples
Radio static or the snowy television
People talking during a presentation (shhhhh)
Lawnmower outside a lecture hall
Telephone wires in a nature photo
Neighbor’s weed-whacker on a Saturday morning
while your wife is telling you it’s time to go to the
dump

6. Internal Noise - Examples
Physical distractions brought on by recurring
illnesses, jet lag, or even the onset of a midlife
crisis.
Often results from preconceived notions we bring
to conversations, such as
racial stereotypes, reputations, biases, and
assumptions.
Wandering minds during a lecture

7. Semantic Noise - Examples
Lengthy, meandering messages that
never…ever…ever…end
Bad grammar - Ain’t college, great!?!?!??! ;
Messages that leave no stone unturned
(too much info)
Messages that leave every stone unturned
(not enough info)
Messages that are sent too often
Messages with excessive technical jargon
(trust me on this one – I work in IT)

8. Semantic Noise - Examples

9. How Semantic Noise Impacts
Communications
Messages that…
Are too long – readers won’t finish, or worse, won’t start
Contain excessive typos – readers start to mentally edit
instead of thinking about the message content
Contain too much info – reader becomes overloaded
Contain too little info – reader is forced to seek other
sources for the information
Sent too often – people tune out (writer who cries wolf)
Contain too much technical jargon – makes people
perceive department as arrogant (great source of
grumpiness)
Are sent at the wrong time; too early or too late - too
much time to react, or not enough time to react

10. How Noise Impacts Communications

11. How can we reduce noise in our
communications?
Worry about the noise you can control!
• Semantics!
Plan the Message
Craft the Message
Deliver the Message
Listen

12. Plan the Message
Identify
 What needs to be said?
 What is the goal of your message?
 Who should receive the message?
 When should you send the message and how
often?
 Which channels should I use?
 Who should create the message?
 Who should send the message?
 How will you solicit feedback?

13. Craft the Message
 Be brief. Stick to the point.
 Use common language. Avoid technical jargon.
 Be concise. Limit into to what reader needs to
know, and what they need to do.
 Use proper branding! UNH logos, fonts.
 Evaluate the message prior to distribution.
 Seek feedback.
 Include ‘For more info’ link or contact info.

14. Craft the Message – Word Selection
“Don’t use a five dollar word when a .25 cent word will do.”
– M. Twain

15. Craft the Message – Word Selection II
• Use familiar words in place of the unfamiliar
• Use concrete words in place of the abstract
• Use short words in place of long
• Use single words in place of several

16. Great Communicator

17. Craft the Message - Simplify
Simple messages are better
• Never assume your audience knows everything
• If necessary (and appropriate), provide links to
addition information to help keep your message
short
• Limit your scope to one or two points

18. Craft the Message - Short
Shorter messages are better
• Most people read the first two paragraphs of a
message, and then make a decision on whether or
not to read the rest
• Put all of the most important information up front

19. Deliver the Message
Consider
 Is this the right time?
 Am I sending this to the right people?
 Has someone other than me (assuming
you’re the author) reviewed this message
prior to sending?
 Can my audience respond?

20. Listen!
 Solicit feedback: Use surveys
(Qualtrics), focus groups, questionnaires
 Engage: Use feedback to inform future
communications
 Respond: Address all inquiries and
comments

21. Questions?
Martin England
Marty.england@unh.edu
Signals.unh.edu