As I write this, I’m looking at all the devices sitting on my desk: a Blackberry, a Dell Notebook, a hard-wired phone, an iPod and a variety of chargers and USB cables for my current and previous cell phones and other electronic devices. My computer is set to receive e-mail, keep track of the market and gather news on world events while my Blackberry is waiting for calls and text messages from clients. But which is best for keeping effective and constant communication with the most important people… the ones who actually pay my electric bill? I’m sure we all look for ways to best manage our time, communicate more effectively, stand out in a crowd and dress for success But after years of upgrading technology, reading books and listening to successful people, I believe I am getting to the bottom of this. Read on.

When I got into the condo management business back in 1986, I carried a huge bag cell phone that cost 50 cents per minute to talk. It was like carrying a large awkward lunch box with a phone receiver and a long silly cord dangling out of it. It was a big deal when the next generation of cell phone was reduced to the size of half a cereal box with a stiff weapon-like antenna pointing out of the top. The other must-have device of the day was the clip-on pager. I carried one for 14 years. To this day, I still think there is a fire, flood or disaster somewhere when the microwave beeps.

Today I have a website that allows homeowners to make a request online, which is directly fed to my Blackberry, which instantly allows me to release a contractor. Additionally, there are devices to forward calls to multiple locations, find someone by GPS position and instantly alert someone when on the computer. Which of these do you think is helping me to communicate best? We’ll get to that later.

My wife is a director of communications for a large national communications company. Would it surprise you that with all the technology available to her, each morning she reaches for a single sheet of 8.5 X 11-inch paper to handle the majority of her communication needs? She puts in a 10-hour day and directs meetings for hundreds of corporate middle management Type-A people who all have many questions and opinions.

So how does she do it? To begin with, she asks people questions and demands answers. If someone asks her a question, she answers it. Sure, she has the phone, e-mail, instant message and cell phone making demands at all times. But she eliminates the steamrolling effect with precise get-to-the-point-result-oriented-Samurai-management tactics. I made that term up, of course, but you get the point. Picture a heard of buffalo coming straight at you. Are you going to survive by just standing there and getting trampled, or are you going to launch a counterattack of some kind? You can’t allow yourself to get to things later. All it takes is one person to stand up at an annual meeting and say, “You never returned my call,” to put you on the fast track to reality.

Too many get bogged down with the need for the latest in speedy and shiny technology. Spending money doesn’t improve communication … listening and then talking does. I used to love going to the drive-thru at Dunkin’ Donuts when on the highway or on my way to work. Then one day I realized they aren’t selling coffee – they are selling procrastination! Communication is important whether it’s an association manager, a trustee, a maintenance person or a homeowner. To keep the condo association engine running, all the cogs in the machine have to be functioning as they were designed. The homeowner asks the question. The manager listens and acts. The maintenance person responds. The trustees make decisions. And it all gets reported accurately in the minutes of the historical documents so that future generations can benefit from the success and avoid the mistakes of the current program in play.

So I ask you once again: What is the most important tool in the communication process? Is it the computer, the Blackberry, the cell phone or the pager? Or is it listening with your ears to the words being spoken, processing the request with your mind and speaking the results with your mouth? I don’t need another drive-thru coffee this time.

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Author Name: Ken Foley

Ken Foley is a director of property management with Next Gen Property Management.

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