There are many different ways of communicating your ideas, direct discussion, email, telephone, social media messaging, blogging and many more. These generally will fall under either one of two headings, one being verbal and the other being non-verbal. Each of these techniques will all have their own pros and cons but it is important to know in what situation it is best to use a certain technique. For example, I would say that presenting an idea to a client, a logo idea for example, is best handled in a verbal, face to face situation where you can both show your ideas and also put across your thought processes. This method allows for easy interaction and if the client has any feedback or queries it is much easier to understand the response and the questions your client has if they are directly in front of you giving you their instant reactions and questionings. It can be argued that these techniques are formal and informal, a message on twitter (being informal) is hardly an appropriate place to discuss an upcoming project but it is a good place to post similar work that you’ve done that may attract the client in a different way. Each has its own purpose.
In a situation where you would need to influence or persuade a client to follow a certain idea, you can handle this in different ways. There is never a 100% correct or incorrect way of doing things but there are social standards and accepted norms that you should consider in these decisions. If you were to disagree with your client about a particular idea, you would probably be better to approach this in a formal yet friendly manner. Informal may come across as being patronizing and really it is best to approach this situation with care so not to offend. A formal option could be sending the client an email; with this option you can carefully word your response to make sure that you get your point across but also appreciate your clients ideas without dismissing them immediately. However, an email or in any form of non-verbal communication it can be very difficult to convey tone. You may type something that you think sounds light hearted and intuitive but the other person could read it as being offensive and mocking. People read things like that with different meaning. A verbal response, through phone or direct discussion, although it allows for you to project tone and manner it does mean that you are more on the spot so to speak. You have less time to carefully word answers and will have to rely on your instant responses. There is the advantage of being able to see your client’s instant response also, in which case if they are offended it can be easily rectified. Also negotiation is much easier to deal with verbally rather than in a long email exchange for example.
Giving feedback to a client is also a grey area with what the best technique is. Feedback can be conceived as either positive or negative, but it is very important to avoid destructive feedback which may affect all future communication and your working relationship. You should always be polite when it comes to giving feedback whether it is positive or negative and generally I would say that you can do this either through verbal or non-verbal communication as long as you are clear and concise with your feedback. Not only should you remain polite and considerate when giving feedback, but also when receiving it. A client may not like one of your ideas and rightly should say so, but this should be handled correctly and not taken to heart. Instead of being offended or questioning their feedback, it should be accepted and a solution should be taking shape in a discussion between those involved. If you handle constructive feedback well, then your client has no reason not to handle your feedback well either.
Another matter to consider when communicating in this sector is when the need arises to have a technical conversation. This may be an issue that arises or it could just be a decision that you need a client to make. The use of technical jargon with clients who do not understand it should be very limited, I think it is best to mention the jargon when dealing with the problem but also offer a full explanation of what the word or term means. This way if the client knows what you mean they can pick it up instantly by the term, if not you have covered all basis with the explanation; you are being professional, knowledgeable but also helpful and approachable. This type of conversation I think is best handled by verbal communication. Either by phone or direct conversation, but this will allow for explanations to be much simpler and also any questions they may have will be answered instantly. When dealing with professionals in the sector I think it is best to use the technical jargon when necessary, it gives the impression that you are experienced and knowledgeable. Depending on how confident you are with using these terms is a determining factor in whether this discussion should be made through digital means or verbal communication. If you are confident with the terms and can use them easily, it may be best to use a verbal method. If not you can word your ideas non-verbally and still come across as professional and experienced with your jargon.
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