How much time do you spend each day communicating and collaborating with co-workers and customers in 2020?
That was the question I asked a large number of Life Sciences professionals recently in a snap survey (mostly commercial, HQ-based). And the answer is….A LOT!
I got responses from 60+ people (thank you so much, those who responded so quickly!), and the average answer across that sample was: 70% (see the more detailed results below).
This means that a lot of my respondents have spending between 5-6 hours per day interacting with others (emails, phone calls, Zoom meetings, presentations, one-on-ones, etc.).
(More than half were as high as 75-95% – and, there were definitely some mentions of Zoom fatigue sprinkled throughout! Feel free to add your experience in the comments…)
And…90% of those who answered a follow-up question indicated that this amount of interaction was the same or higher since COVID. Those are big numbers.
So…what does this mean?
This means that this very large, highly-paid group is exercising one primary set of practices – communication and collaboration skills – to navigate the vast majority of their workday.
Think about the salaries represented here, and do some simple math about the time/money value equation. If we could improve our communication/collaboration skills, and those of our teammates, by just 5-10% – how much would that be worth?
The answer (again) is….A LOT!
An enormous opportunity
So…given this massive need, can we train our people to optimize their communication and collaboration skills? Let’s put it in very practical terms: can we more quickly and effectively 1) get to the point; 2) get our point across; and 3) get everyone on the same page?
These are skills being exercised at every single level of the organization, from the C-suite all the way to the new hire field sales rep. I know we can improve these skills, and I have the recipe to help us.
Clarity workshops
In 2019, I decided to focus my workshop facilitation on these practical aspects of professional communication and collaboration. During 2020, that evolved into virtual delivery, which has enabled me to reach a far broader audience. Take a look at some of the imperatives we address in these virtual sessions:
You may wonder – how does “clarity” impact effective communications and collaborations? Well, over many years, I’ve developed something called the Clarity Formula. Here’s the story about how I decoded a method for improving ALL forms of communication:
We don’t need 47 different models for communication across different parts of the organization. One brain-friendly formula can be applied by everyone – from the C-suite to the new hire – to make interactions more successful. And to help us get to the point and get on the same page.
Interested in getting a quick overview of how the Clarity Formula can transform your team’s communication? Contact me and we’ll set up a time to chat.
——————————SURVEY DETAILS——————————
Here’s a bit of a breakdown of the 62 survey participants. Bear in mind that my market focus has always been Training & Development so that helps explain the sampling distribution:
- Training & Development: 38
- Field Sales/Acct. Mgmt: 6
- Sales Leadership: 5
- Brand/Marketing: 6
- Commercial Executives: 3
- Compliance: 1
- Patient Advocacy: 1
- Managed Care: 1
- R&D: 1
Change in communication/collaboration since COVID:
- More: 50%
- Same: 40%
- Less: 10%
Companies represented by respondents were across the board in size, from Top 5 Pharma to mid-sized to startups.
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