'AWARENESS' BLOGS FROM THE 'BUSINESS AWARENESS' COACH
How 'Pan-orizontal Communication' Will Create 'Successful Business Awareness' For Any Workplace

Panorizontal Communication & Its Positive Affect On Any Business

I have been promoting and coaching ‘Business Awareness’ for over 25 years now, and the total affect it has on a workplace still continues to amaze me. People come and people go, but those clients of mine that committed totally to it claim they continue to experience improved profits, new ideas, the constant discovery of  better ways to do things, more positive attitudes, and a persistent and steady rise in employee morale.

But right now I would like to take a short hiatus from praising the concept of  ‘Awareness’, and try to do a better job of explaining what actually allows it work so effectively. If you are a business owner, executive or manager, then you should be aware of the terms vertical and horizontal communication. For those of you who are not I will explain, and for you others, consider this to be a refresher course.

Before I can begin to explain my panorizontal communication, I will provide you with the following definition of vertical and horizontal communication from ‘Reference For Business: Encyclopedia of Business, 2^nd Edition’:

“Information, the life blood of any organization, needs to flow freely in every direction to be effective. Successful management requires downward communication to subordinates, upward communication to superiors, and horizontal communication to peers in other divisions. Getting a task done, perhaps through delegation, is just one aspect of the manager’s job. Obtaining the resources to do that job, letting others know what is going on, and coordinating with others are also crucial skills. These skills keep the organization working, and enhance the visibility of the manager and his/her division, thus ensuring continued support and promotion.

Downward communication is more than passing on information to subordinates. It may involve effectively managing the tone of the message, as well as showing skill in delegation to ensure the job is done effectively by the right person. In upward communication, tone is even more crucial, as are timing, strategy, and audience adaptation. In neither case can the manager operate on automatic as the messages are sent out.”

If horizontal communication is only for ‘peers in other divisions’, (as cited above), then “panorizontal communication” is my metaphor for communicating across a level plane, or e.g., from the top executive and staff on one side… to managers/supervisors in the middle… to rank-and-file on the opposite side. (Pan- as a prefix means: all, every, universal). But now, we are actually on a level and even keel in which to communicate. We are all asking, listening, and understanding each other.

Any form of vertical communication is poor at best.  We have all seen a demonstration of someone starting with a whisper in the next person’s ear, having the same action continue around the table or room, and having the last person recite what the starter said, only to hear the laughter of the crowd when the original message is finally revealed.

Words are missed, misunderstood, misinterpreted, and ‘clobbered’ along the way. My form of Panorizontal communication goes a long way to help eliminate this. My E-book entitled ‘Successful Business Awareness’© will prove that to you.

To learn more about how ‘Awareness’ will help you and your company, and  how Panorizontal communication  actually does create positive results, and is the catalyst to making certain Awareness is so effective … go to http://www.b2bawareness.com …

Thank you for visiting … and I wish you and yours nice days always,

Bill Hartman
The Business Awareness Coach

What Every HR Executive Should Know

Fairly recently I received an e-mail from an individual that found my site by punching in specific keywords. As is the norm for me, I replied by asking what keywords she had actually used (we all know how important SEO is), and this particular young lady said she had used the words ‘employee motivation techniques‘ and ‘employee motivation strategies‘. Soon after that she phoned me and we had a very enjoyable chat, mostly having to do with her business.

During our conversation, she said she was surprised that my site appeared on the first page of Google search results after entering both sets of those keywords. When I asked why that had surprised her, the discussion that followed is what prompted me to write this blog, and arrive at its title.

She claimed she only clicked on my site with the second set of keywords, because it had again appeared on Google’s first page. However, she said she had begun by using only the words ‘employee motivation‘  and my site was nowhere to be found. I explained that there are a myriad of sites that specialize in many different ways to motivate people, but that ‘techniques’ and ‘strategies’ are much more specific. She said she was extremely impressed with my clients’ testimonials, and we went on to exchange views on how my program of ‘Awareness’ could be used in her operation.

Now to finally get to the point of this blog. She phoned me again last week and we enjoyed another lengthy discussion, this time about a large positive shift in the morale and attitude of her employees. She has a service business with just over 300 workers. Most of her employees are customer service reps, and she was experiencing some problems with what she perceived to be ‘boredom’ among her troops. Following our original discussion, she had a meeting with her Manager of  Human Resources, and that person’s HR staff assistant, the only other person in that department.

In less than only 3 weeks she was absolutely baffled at how my tutorial, “Successful Business Awareness”©, had played such a large part in helping to improve their overall workplace morale. She went on to say that by setting up their ‘awareness’ meetings, the input she (and her managerial staff) received from her rank and file was extremely enlightening. So much so that they implemented most of the changes their employees suggested, and now there are nothing but smiles all over their three office floors. She wanted me  (and you my readers) to know, by simply asking the question … “what can we do to help you do your jobs better” … the responses they heard were about topics she and her staff had never considered to be issues … or even knew about … up to that point.

She concluded our conversation by suggesting I try to do a much better job of getting the word out about ‘Awareness’ (I assured her I work at it daily), and how truly affective it can be when set up by any company’s own human resources staff.

To learn more about how this concept of ‘Awareness’ … and its catalyst panorizontal communication … could really help you and your HR staff, as well as your entire work force, please visit us at http://www.b2bawareness.com.

Thank you for visiting … and I wish you nice days always.

Bill Hartman
The Business Awareness Coach

… But At Times Are Reluctant To Be Involved At This Level

Having been a financial and HR executive for over forty years, and a business coach for the past seventeen of those years, it cannot be stressed nearly enough how important good communication is in today’s challenging business environment. Everywhere a body turns the media seems to dwell on the negative; or is it simply that most conditions today seem so negative, that we should all learn to accept and expect the inevitable upcoming gloom and doom? I think not.

To begin my point, it is true people are bringing current negativity along with them to their workplaces nearly every day. They discuss their concerns amongst each other, and as usual, productivity suffers. So does employee morale, and obviously, the bottom line of nearly any type of business enterprise. I am certainly not suggesting that I can solve all of the world’s problems with this blog, but I have found a helpful solution that has proven to work in many businesses and industries, or more specifically, in nearly any enterprise where people oversee others.

Total responsibility of any enterprise normally begins and ends with the chief executive officer, or whatever title a particular facility or operation assigns to the person in charge. If you are that individual, or a direct report to such an individual, it is among your responsibilities to make certain you have a communication process in place that will enable positive change. You can begin by asking this question: “How can we (management) help you (employees) to do your jobs better – and correctly – the first time?” When you and your staff ask this question, listen, and respond sincerely to their answers, changes begin to manifest themselves, and improvements begin to develop at a more steady pace.

Most of what I teach is about becoming a different kind of leader; one that demonstrates less importance on being a “boss”, but rather becoming more aware of the people you are responsible for, and their specific needs, in order to perform at whatever level is expected of them. As you should already know, people do not need or want to be managed; they need and want to be led. In any case, as the presiding officer, you must have a pan-horizontal style of communication in place so you will know everything that is important (i.e. all you should know) that is taking place on your watch.

In other words, do you as the chief executive, only count on your staff to know what is going on; or is there an open and horizontal line of communication from you … all the way to the very nadir of your organization … and then, once again, back to you?

To clarify my point, during my exit interviews with the individuals that hired my services, I began to notice a pattern in their response and actions to my suggestions. In most every case, I was able to begin with this statement …“I believe right now I know more about what is actually happening at this place of business, than anyone else here, and that includes you!” Their initial response was usually one of disbelief, and in some cases, absolute shock.

You see, many executives [and unfortunately, all too often] rely much too heavily on their lieutenants reporting to them what is going on. In actuality, the subordinates are telling these execs whatever they think the execs want to hear, rather than the actual truth … which may be too difficult because they fear repercussions, or their news may turn out to be too costly.

However, in nearly every case, after my process had been set up and running, and although some never admitted so, they sent me off with my believing they knew that statement had been correct. You can learn more about the process that has always worked for my clients at the bottom of this blog, but my purpose here is to get your attention so you will do something for your business, as well as for yourself. A major deterrent to any company’s success is having a presiding officer not have an accurate feel for the pulse within his or her operation.

My experience through this type of communication process has shown that the majority of practical, positive and unique ideas for improvements have come from rank-and-file members, rather than from where it is normally expected, in the “upper echelons” of management. In addition, at times this may also turn out to be a new, reliable, previously unknown source in the evaluation and assessment of your supervisory staff.

In nearly every situation, especially in today’s economy, every business should have some sort of perpetual, pan-orizontal, communication process in place … so that the mouth and ears of the individual in charge … is right next to those of the lowest employee in the company’s hierarchy … so very little gets filtered in between.

The primary objective of every CEO should be to establish an ongoing, pan-orizontal, two-way dialogue to discuss what actually happens in every corner of their place of business. The many leaders I have counseled over the years are highly qualified, most with MBAs, some from distinguished universities, all with many years of experience in their fields. Nevertheless, the greater majority of those counseled were so self-centered, and had such a high opinion of their own abilities, that they believed they knew all they needed to know. Do you know why these leaders did not know what they should have known? They did not ask … and therefore they did not listen to … the right people. Are you one of these leaders?

From my vast experience in this arena – although many of my clients claimed multiple improvements from these types of meetings – the primary benefits always seemed to have resulted in improved profits,  better communication, raised employee morale, and increased productivity in their workplaces.

To learn more about ‘awareness‘ and how to improve your business, visit my website at  http://www.b2bawareness.com.

Thank you for visiting … and I wish you nice days always.

Bill Hartman
The Business Awareness Coach

The Differences Between Management and Leadership

Let’s see what Wikipedia and Webster have to say about both:

Management

Wikipedia’s definition:
Management is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading or directing, and controlling an organization (a group of one or more people or entities) or effort for the purpose of accomplishing a goal. Resourcing encompasses the deployment and manipulation of human, financial, technological, and natural resources.

Since organizations can be viewed as systems, management can also be defined as human action, including design, to facilitate the production of useful outcomes from a system. This view opens the opportunity to ‘manage’ oneself, a pre-requisite to attempting to manage others.

Webster’s definition:
Management: 1) The act, art, or manner of managing; handling, controlling, directing, etc. 2) Skillful managing; careful, tactful treatment 3) skill in managing; executive ability 4) a] The person or persons managing a business, institution, etc. b] Such persons collectively, regarded as a distinct social group.

Leadership

Wikipedia’s definition:
Leadership has been described as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task.”

Webster’s definition:
Leadership: 1) The position or guidance of a leader 2) The ability to lead 3) The leaders of a group

To be more specific, and yet simplify a response, I will offer two points. After seventeen years of coaching and mentoring business owners, executives and managers … while admittedly concentrating more closing with HR executives … I have learned the following:  people do not want or need to be managed; they want and need to be led.

The best leaders set good examples, and are willing to listen to … and share what they have learned with … their subordinates.

The best managers go to their subordinates on a regular basis and ask: “What can we do to help you do your jobs better”?

HR managers should be continually establishing interaction with their rank and file workers, so they can gain a better understanding of whatever their employee’s needs are, in order for them to be able to do what is expected of them.

Are any of you readers doing something like this?

To learn more about what ‘awareness and panorizontal communication‘ will actually do for you and your organization … and how it will certainly ultimately help your career … visit us at  http://www.b2bawareness.com.

Thank you for visiting … and I wish you and yours nice days always.

Bill Hartman
The Business Awareness Coach

How to Treat Others Respectfully

Hardly a day goes by that I am not thinking about ‘Awareness‘ in some way. It has been so much a part of my life for the past twenty-five years, that it seems it is always there. The basic concept of  ‘awareness’ in the world of business is for a leader to ask a subordinate …  “Is there anything I can do to help you with your job today?” To complete the process, the leader listens, and then acts. I may have oversimplified it here, but let’s try to bring this same concept into our everyday lives.

Do we ask if we can be of help … do we listen … do we act on it?

Why not begin each day with this philosophy … to your spouse, child, or any loved one that greets you in the morning … “Is there anything I can do for you today?” You listen, and then explain if you will be able to do it, or why you are unable. You go to work and use the same approach with your subordinates, your colleagues, and your superiors. You continue on into a social life that night, or continue when you are back home again. “How can I be a better father, or mother, or son, or daughter … or worker, or boss … or friend. Are you still with me here?

It is easy to ask … a lot harder to listen … and even harder to follow through with a promise.

For a quarter of a century I have seen this same principle improve companies and lives in the workplace through improved profits, raised employee morale, increased productivity, and advanced careers. Now you may be thinking, have I practiced what I’ve preached? I have certainly tried, and I admit it is difficult. But as I look back to see if this philosophy had any influence on our own family, I am proud to say our four children seem to have instilled much of it in their own lives – as well as their families too. Now, with that thought still in mind, let me leave you with another that can be true with my services. As a popular local realtor once claimed in his TV ads … “I’m not bragging – I’m applying for a job – If your not happy with my service, then fire me.”

To learn more about treating others respectfully and ‘successful business awareness’, and how its use of ‘panorizontal communication’ will help you, your staff, and your company, go to http://b2bawareness.com and learn for yourself … how you will earn more respect as a business leader.

Thanks for visiting … and I wish you and yours nice days always,

Bill Hartman
The Business Awareness Coach

Some Helpful Suggestions Toward
Becoming A Really Good Leader

Leaders come and leaders go, but what really makes a good leader? And what makes a great Leader? After over 40 years in business … 25 as a financial executive and 17 more as a business coach (give or take a few months) … I have found many leaders did not know they were as good as they were … and many more thought they were better than they actually were. I am certain that is not a surprise to any reader, as you have come across such leaders also. You no doubt work for one kind or the other right now. But why is that so?

Allow me to tell a short humbling story of how my own history as a leader of people began. It was way back in ’67, when I was in my third year in an accounting office of a large printing plant attending class evenings to become an accountant. One day I was called into the plant manager’s office and informed the controller was going to be let go, and they wanted me to replace him. Four wrenching days later that same manager introduced me, as their new boss, to what were my colleagues only the day before (the 15-person accounting department) and then left the room.

To complete this picture, I was only 24, a US Navy veteran, still an undergraduate in evening school, married and the father of 3 small boys, and facing 14 accountants, some with degrees, and all older than me. Not knowing what else to say I told them I did not understand why I was selected over any of them, would be helpless without their total support, asked if they would please help me so I could learn what was needed, and I would be indebted to them for the rest of my life.

Two years later, at a company function because I had been promoted and was being transferred, an elderly gentleman (who should have gotten my job) told me this: “After you left the conference room that day, and seeing your attitude and how humble you were, and how you appeared more shocked than us, we made a pact to make certain you would never fail.

My point is my inauguration was a humble one. Those wonderful people never gave me a chance to think highly of myself. And during the next 40+ years I learned a lot more about what a good leader should … and should not … do.

Dr. John C. Maxwell, one of my mentors, is a world renowned expert on leadership. Following are some excerpts from him I want to share that are well worth the read:

“What gives a man or woman the right to lead? It certainly isn’t gained by election or appointment. Having position, title, rank, or degrees doesn’t qualify anyone to lead other people. And the ability doesn’t come automatically from age or experience, either. No, it would be accurate to say that no one can be given the right to lead. The right to lead can only be earned. And that takes time.”

He goes on to say, “The key to becoming an effective leader is not to focus on making other people follow, but on making yourself the kind of person they want to follow. You must become someone others can trust to take them where they want to go. The truly great leaders are not in leadership for personal gain. They lead in order to serve other people.”

“Rare is the effective leader who didn’t learn to become a good follower first. That is why leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. That means it is by nature relational. Today’s excellent leaders seem particularly aware of this because title and position mean so little to them. They know intuitively that people go along with people they get along with. No one respects and follows mediocrity. Leaders who earn the right to lead give their all to what they do. They bring into play not only their skills and talents, but also great passion and hard work. They perform on the highest level of which they are capable.”

“When you look at the leaders whose names are revered long after they have finished leading, you find that they were men and women who helped people to live better lives and reach their potential. That is the highest calling of leadership … and its highest value. One of the ironies of leadership is that you become a better leader by sharing whatever power you have, not by saving it all for yourself. You are meant to be a river, not a reservoir. If you use your power to empower others, your leadership will extend beyond your grasp.“

I sincerely hope this has helped you to have a better understanding of what being a really good leader is all about.

To learn more about leadership and ‘successful business awareness’, and how its use of ‘panorizontal communication’ will help you, your staff, and your company, go to http://b2bawareness.com and learn for yourself … how you can improve even more as a business leader.

Thanks for visiting … and I wish you nice days always,

Bill Hartman
The Business Awareness Coach

What All Business Managers Need To Know To
Improve Communication In Their Workplace

In this blog, once again, I want to stress the importance (or rather, the necessity) of opening up a dialogue with ALL employees in any group or business. As I have mentioned many times here, I have been coaching (preaching?) business and executive improvement for over a quarter of a century now. Just recently two questions were asked of me that would indicate this message is still not getting across properly to those that need to practice it.

The first question came from a plant manager who asked me what he and his staff could do to get a better ‘feel’ of what was actually happening each day out in their factory. The second was from a male department supervisor of 46 (female) garment workers who wanted to develop a closer relationship (camaraderie and kinship were ‘his’ words) with his employees. I presented them both with pretty much the same response. That is, you have to give every single employee an opportunity to be asked – and given an honest response – to this question: “What can we do to help you do your job (better).”

The bare essence of this question is paramount to “successful business awareness”. As I have always advocated most business owners, executives, managers, and supervisors DO NOT KNOW all they should know about what is going on in their place of business. My experience has proven that rank-and-file employees usually seem to be the only ones aware of hidden discrepancies, costs, and serious problems …  because hardly anyone of real importance ever takes the time to ask them.

You NEED to set up a system of communicating with all employees in order to learn how to make effective, but yet easy-to-implement, improvements. As I suggested to both of these individuals, as well as to hundreds of others, visit http://www.b2bawareness.com and opt in for a free report “Are You Asking The Right Questions To The Right People?”. Many executives and managers have been blown away by the “simplicity in the logic” asked in these ten questions. I have been told by many of my readers that this report made them want to change the way they managed immediately and asked for my help.

This site provides direct and easy to understand logic for any business to improve, and it should be a must read for anyone who leads people. For every business owner, executive, manager, and supervisor who views this site, I believe they will look forward to going to work the next day. This site offers an e-book entitled “Successful Business Awareness”©, and any coaching support that may be needed to assure the promises made become reality. It is supported by many testimonials and claims from former and current clients.

If you are a business manager, executive or owner, find out for yourself why communication at work may seem lost … but now can be found again, with positive and rewarding results.

To learn more about communication in the workplace and ‘successful business awareness’, and how its use of ‘panorizontal communication’ will help you and your company, read what others say @ http://www.b2bawareness.com/testimonials.html and learn for yourself how you too can improve even further as a solid, sound communicator.

Thank you for visiting … and I wish you nice days always,

Bill Hartman
The Business Awareness Coach

Introducing the Easiest – Yet Most Effective – Tool Being Used Today To Raise Morale In the Workplace

I wrote this article for HubPages back on February 17, 2010 … and as it still appears to apply today … thought it worthy to repeat two years later to the day.

To most business owners, executives and managers, the title of this article sounds a bit too good to be true. In fact, it has proven to be quite true in many documented cases. You see, as the ‘awareness’ process has actually evolved over the last twenty-five years, so have my client companies and their executives experienced its extraordinary results, to both their business and personal beneficial gains.

Awareness in itself is a designation given to a ‘pan’orizontal style of communication that can be set up in most any workplace or business wherein people oversee others. From as few as a dozen employees to literally thousands – the larger the organization the better it seems to work. It only has two basic requirements: 1) a presiding executive commitment to endorse and implement it, and 2) the patience of that executive commitment to see it through and perpetuate it.

The actual process of ‘Awareness’ has also resulted in a new management awakening, or rather, a discovery of a management educational tool barely discussed heretofore in the world’s most prominent business schools.

Easiest Way to Raise Employee Morale

Some of the most successful companies in the world have at least one thing in common: they value input from their employees. However, too many of them stop there. Very seldom, if ever, do the executives and managers of successful companies ask their employees: “How can we help you to do your jobs better?” I do not know why they have not been asking that question, or anything similar to it, but I have enjoyed a wonderful last half of my career teaching managers to learn to do just that. You see, the rank-and-file of any organization, as a group, see more of what goes on – both positive and negative – than any one individual there.

I have learned most employees want to share what they know as possibly being negative, spiteful, costly, harmful, or even malevolent; but they may fear doing so because of perceived reprisal, or lack of importance. This was very common in most of those organizations I was involved with during my consultations, and found the existing management staff was not aware of it. This is extremely harmful for any organization, and there is a way to eliminate it, and to see that it never happens where you work. All employees want to feel they play an important role in their company’s success, and they want to feel appreciated and acknowledged for the jobs they are doing. Whenever and wherever a process akin to this is in place – employee morale soars.

Learn more about how to set up ‘Awareness’ and ‘panorizontal communication’ in your workplace by visiting my website at  http://b2bawareness.com …

Thank you for visiting … and have nice days always.

Bill Hartman
The Business Awareness Coach

In today’s business world things do not appear to be going as well as they used to. Do any of you recall when you actually looked forward to going to work? Does anyone know what went wrong … what actually happened? Why has going to work become such drudgery? Do any of you know what changed … say in the last decade or two?

I believe employees are no longer as happy as they used to be, no longer take as much pride in their work, and as a result, things have gone awry.  Of course there are many reasons for this downturn. But here I am going to address one – communication at work. There is one thing you can be sure of … it is management’s responsibility to make whatever changes are required in order to bring personal pride back to their workplace.

As a veteran business improvement consultant and coach  I have witnessed and studied such worker frustration for over twenty-five years now, and I know how seemingly unrewarding workdays have become for people in all industries. Most workers say their jobs are boring, unchallenged, and their efforts are no longer appreciated. People do not seem as happy and caring as they used to about coming to work anymore … and their executives and managers have not been able to come up with a good fix. That is until now. Read on to learn more about a new ‘style of managing’ – one that brings everyone into the process.

This past weekend, one of my newest clients was searching for some good business advice on the internet. He was punching in all kinds of search words to see if he could find a site somewhere that would answer a few of his questions, or at the very least, lead him in a positive direction. He was concentrating on improving communication at his workplace, on new ways to improve morale, profits, atmosphere, et al. After about an hour or so, he came across a site that absolutely astounded him. This site popped up on Google’s first page when he typed in ‘improve profits easily’.  There he was able to download  a free report entitled “Are You Asking The Right Questions – To The Right People?”  After reading it (only six pages), he got in touch with me. He said he had been blown away by the “simplicity of the logic” in the list of questions. The report made him want to change the way he managed immediately and asked for my help.

This site provides direct and easy to understand logic for any business to improve, and it should be a must visit for anyone who leads people. For every business owner, executive, manager, and supervisor who visits this site, I believe they will look forward to going to work the next day. This site offers an e-book entitled “Successful Business Awareness”©, and an explanation of what ‘Panorizontal Communication’ in the workplace is all about … as well as any coaching support that may be needed to assure the promises made become reality. It is supported by many testimonials and claims from former and current clients.

If you are currently a business manager, executive or owner, find out for yourself why communication at work may seem lost … but now can be found again, with positive and rewarding results.

Go to http://www.b2bawareness.com …

Thank you for visiting … and have nice days always.

Bill Hartman
The Business Awareness Coach

I have been requested by many visitors to my website and blogs to help them have a better understanding of what ‘panorizontal communication’ is all about. Several distinguished leaders from several different businesses recently asked me to define it, explain how it works, describe its benefits … and as none of them could find it in any dictionary … explain how the word panorizontal was originally derived?

Below are excerpts from one of my blogs published back on October 26, 2010 from my site at www.b2bawareness.com describing, in a bit more detail, how the word and concept of ‘panorizontal communication in the workplace’ actually came to be …

INTRODUCING A REVOLUTIONARY NEW METHOD
FOR EMPLOYEE INTERACTION IN THE WORKPLACE

Panorizontal Communication & Its Positive Affect On Any Business

“I have been promoting and coaching ‘Awareness’ for over twenty-five years now, and the total affect it has on a workplace still continues to amaze me. People come and people go, but those clients of mine that committed totally to it, claim it continues to help their companies to improve …  with new ideas, the constant discovery of better ways to do things, the enhancement of more positive attitudes, and the persistent steady raising of employee morale.

“But right now I would like to take a short hiatus from praising the concept of  ‘awareness’, and try to do a better job of explaining what makes it work so effectively. If you are a business owner, executive or manager, then you are  certainly aware of the terms vertical and horizontal communication. For those of you who are not I will explain, and for you others, consider this to be a refresher course.

“Before I can begin to explain my panorizontal communication, I will provide you with the following definition of vertical and horizontal communication from ‘Reference For Business: Encyclopedia of Business, 2^nd Edition’:

‘Information, the life blood of any organization, needs to flow freely in every direction to be effective. Successful management requires downward communication to subordinates, upward communication to superiors, and horizontal communication to peers in other divisions. Getting a task done, perhaps through delegation, is just one aspect of the manager’s job. Obtaining the resources to do that job, letting others know what is going on, and coordinating with others are also crucial skills. These skills keep the organization working, and enhance the visibility of the manager and his/her division, thus ensuring continued support and promotion.

‘Downward communication is more than passing on information to subordinates. It may involve effectively managing the tone of the message, as well as showing skill in delegation to ensure the job is done effectively by the right person. In upward communication, tone is even more crucial, as are timing, strategy, and audience adaptation. In neither case can the manager operate on automatic as the messages are sent out.’

“If horizontal communication is only for ‘peers in other divisions’, (as cited above), then “panorizontal communication” is my metaphor for communicating across a level plane, or e.g., from the top executive and staff on one side… to managers/supervisors in the middle… to rank-and-file on the opposite side. (Pan- as a prefix means: all, every, universal). But now, we are actually on a level and even keel in which to communicate. We are all asking, listening, and understanding each other.

“Any form of vertical communication is poor at best. Most of us have seen a demonstration of someone starting with a whisper in the next person’s ear, having the same action continue around the table or room, and having the last person recite what the starter said, only to hear the laughter of the crowd when the original message is finally revealed.

“Words are missed, misunderstood, misinterpreted, and ‘clobbered’ along the way. My form of Panorizontal communication goes a long way to help eliminate this. My E-book entitled ‘Successful Business Awareness’© will prove that to you.”

To learn more about how ‘Awareness’ will help you and your company, and  how Panorizontal communication  actually does create positive results, and is the catalyst to making certain Awareness is so effective … go to www.b2bawareness.com.

I hope this has stimulated your curiosity enough to learn more, and realize how this enhanced style of communication will benefit you and your organization.

Thank you for visiting … I wish you nice days always.

Bill Hartman
The Business Awareness Coach