#29 - Vectorized Communication
How we can improve internal communication with four practices inspired from Vectorized Databases
Overview
It's late afternoon, and you are contemplating what to have for dinner. Desiring something new, you open a new app for meal recommendations. Upon opening, you go through a wizard that asks you to rate the following scales from 1 to 5:
Cold or Warm
Spicy or Sour
Yellow or Blue
Small or Big
Solid or Fluid
After filling in your answers, you receive your top three meal suggestions! Surprisingly, they are pretty accurate.
The example above demonstrates the utilization of Vectorized Databases. At no point did you explicitly search for "Pasta" or "Ramen," yet the app accurately selected them. Instead of "Pasta," you effectively searched for a "kind of solid, big, yellow, and quite warm dish."
Why is this useful? Different business use cases justify what is known as "fuzzy" or "like" searches. For example:
Recommending your next book
Finding images similar to the one you have (e.g., Google Lens)
Finding patterns in an article (e.g., everything around the concept of “family”)
Identifying anomalies (e.g., fraud detection and security threats).
Vectorized Communication
Internal communication can be one of the trickiest aspects to get right within an organization. Think about the last time something didn't go as planned, and the explanation was "we didn't communicate effectively" or "there was a communication problem."
Inspired by this technology, I've started wondering about guidelines for "Vectorized Communication." I will explore four of these guidelines in more detail.
#1 - Patterns
To successfully address a challenge, you must first grasp its inner workings. The initial hurdle lies in comprehending how individuals communicate within their teams, with colleagues, and across the entire organization.
Like vectors, communication doesn't follow a single pattern; it varies among individuals and contexts. Some communication vectors to consider include the following:
Synchronous vs. Asynchronous (or online vs. offline)
Written vs. Verbal
Brief vs. Lengthy
Individual vs. Multiple/Group
Formal vs. Informal
Researching these vectors can yield intriguing insights and provide a deeper understanding of the organization.
#2 - Identify Influencers
Similar to mapping the communication patterns, you can also find the communicators themselves. Each person possesses a unique communication style and influence. Depending on the situation, you might require a charismatic decision-maker, while in other scenarios, a quiet yet insightful individual may be more effective.
Some communicator vectors to consider include:
Active Listening vs. Expressive Talking.
Observer vs. Contributor.
Questioner vs. Sharer.
Collaborative vs. Independent.
Based on your needs, you can look for the most suitable person. If you want to discuss a possible solution, you might look for an “active listener, observer, who questions yet collaborates with you.”
#3 - Feedback Improvement
Vectorized Databases are trained and improved using feedback. You should always seek to gain feedback on the different communication channels, evaluate the patterns and influencers, and enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
Some concrete ways to do so include:
Measure engagement in different mediums (Emoji on Slack, Like on a post, participants in a group meeting).
Surveys on specific events (e.g., what did you get from the last company all-hands?)
Quizzes to assess learnings and insights from different mediums (e.g., what are your main insights on the last strategy deck sent?)
#4 - Personalized Communication
Personalized communication involves tailoring your messages to match the communication patterns of your audience while incorporating feedback for improvement. Here are some practical ideas:
For a decisive executive who prefers written, informal input, consider providing clear, concise summaries or recommendations that directly address their questions. Be prepared to support your points with evidence.
Determine the best time for collaborative, formal, online discussions with your team by considering their availability and preferences. Use feedback to schedule meetings when participants are most engaged and receptive.
To find colleagues who excel in providing brief, written informal summaries and are independent, active listeners, seek recommendations from peers or superiors.
While we can’t do such “queries” in the real world, adapting these thinking patterns can significantly impact and improve our internal communication.
Summary
Adopting a "vectorized communication" mindset involves leveraging data, validation, and research to enhance internal communication. Pattern analysis, influencer identification, and personalized messaging can significantly boost team engagement, leading to enhanced collaboration and, ultimately, better outcomes.
Image by vectorjuice on Freepik