Technology has a funny sense of humour. It’s given us the tools to communicate with each other in an instant at any time of day or night, but it has also taken away some of what it means to really communicate with another.

It’s now entirely possible to hide behind a computer screen, spamming people with emails and instant messages all day, without talking to anybody in person.

Communication overload is all around us, so here are some ways to make things simpler in your business.

Be Frugal With Who You Add To Groups

Have you ever noticed that the number of people in your instant message or email group seems to grow and grow? You might think that it would be a good idea to expand the number of people copied into all your communications, but stop for a moment and think about the amount of extra time that uses.

Not only do the additional recipients have to take a break from whatever task they are undertaking to read your messages, but they may also be inclined to respond. Worse still, they might start up their own conversations, destroying your productivity in the process.

Reward Individual Problem Solving

Too much communication can be a problem, especially when it comes to resolving issues. Colleagues can spend hours in meetings, thrashing out the same tired arguments over and over again in the hope that they will come to a resolution. Usually, however, somebody needs to take the initiative and make a decision.

Companies that reward employees for solving problems by themselves do best here. Think about how to encourage risk-taking and initiative.

Skip Paper Communication Entirely

Office technology has evolved considerably over the last decade, yet many businesses still run their internal office communication as if they are living in the past.

One thing that many businesses don’t realise is that just because their customers use traditional tools of communication, doesn’t mean that they have to as well. Fax servers help to make faxed requests easier to manage directly through email.

VOIP takes the hassle out of redirecting phone calls to real telephones. And snail mail? Even that can be scanned and uploaded by a third party.

Ditch Communication Tools That Don’t Work

It might sound like a good idea to buy a fancy messaging app for your business just because everybody else in your industry is using one. But how much extra productivity do these messaging tools bring?

Before investing any money, think about the ROI. Then trial the product for a couple of months. If you don’t notice a benefit, or if you see things deteriorate, ditch it.

Insist On Objectives In Meetings

Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, is a tyrant when it comes to meetings. If the meeting doesn’t have a clear purpose from the outset, it doesn’t happen.

Furthermore, if the people in the meeting aren’t relevant to the discussion, they must immediately leave and get on with something else. It might sound harsh to send people out of meetings, but it’s essential if you and your team want to avoid communication overload.