Why clear simple communication is so important: we're easiy distracted

Wait a sec, I have to reply to this email.... OK, I"m back.

One of the principles that Blackfriars teaches in our communications courses is Finnish Professor Osmo Wiio's first law of communication:

If a communication can fail, it will.

There are a lot of psychological and physiological reasons behind this statement, but one of those is the fact that we as humans are easily distracted. Well, today's New York Times Circuits section notes that the productivity-enhancing computers that we use at work actually are now major causes of distraction and poor productivity.

While the article offers some hope for research that might help people concentrate longer, we here at Blackfriars have another suggestion: make your messages short and clear enough than people can understand them before they get distracted.

Be right back. Someone just IM'ed me.