Last week, I looked into the three different ways we can communicate in the workplace, and when each is likely to work best. But choosing the right way to communicate is still a far cry from knowing how to communicate effectively. And the last thing you want is to be wasting people’s time when you’re all trying to get a job done. This week, we’ll be looking at how to make the most of your interactive communications.

If you’ll recall, interactive communication is a back and forth, exemplified by one on ones, team meetings and private messaging. Done well, this is the heart of how you get things decided and accomplished in an organization. But done poorly, and you’re wasting a massive amount of time, effort and money.

The informal chat

An office culture is built on the little chats we have as we pass each other in the hallways, the water cooler talk, and for Washington’s football team, what happened in the stairways. They don’t typically add as much value as formal meetings can, but they help reinforce a culture and can occasionally lead to Eureka! moments that lead to real innovation.