Timing really is everything

The other day I wrote about giving constructive feedback to a vendor (read about that here). There was a specific vendor relationship I was thinking about when I posted that. I remember that at the time that issue was going on I had mentioned to a coworker who also worked with this group that I was going to do this. The afternoon the day of when I planned to do so I remember he asked me how the conversation went. I told him that I decided to wait to have it another time. I explained that when I was speaking with our account manager she seemed frazzled and I suspected that the feedback might not be fully heard and therefore would be less productive for me, her, and the whole team. I told my coworker I had decided to wait even if it meant the feedback would be delivered later that day or the next or the next week.

I remember my coworker nodding then mentioning an article he had read about common mistakes people make early on in their career. One was misjudging the situation and delivering feedback or simply sending an email or asking a question too quickly or at the wrong time. He said he was still guilty of this at times and often finds himself sending an email just to get it out rather than taking a moment to think about whether his audience is in the right mental state to receive it.

I think this is common. Oftentimes people simply kick the ball back over the fence just to keep it moving. Sure, at times you do just need to get something out if it’s urgent but often it's important and helpful to take five and wait.

I'm guilty of it too, I just try to be aware of it and manage it. What do I do? Well I walk through a few key things:

1.       I try to think about what I need out of the communication or conversation.

2.      Then I consider if the one person or the group will be able to give me input best via email, a quick call or meeting, or maybe a quick face-to-face chat.

3.      Once I decide the best method of communicate I consider timing since as they say, timing really is everything. For instance sending an email at 4:40pm on a Friday is something I rarely do. For me I'm much more likely to get a response if I hold off and wait until9:45am the following Monday.

4.      If I have insight to a person's calendar be it her travel schedule, meeting or workload for the day, and even things like whether or not she likes to work through lunch or tends to go to the gym or run errands I will hold off on communications until I know she's in the best mindset possible.

Simple stuff but in my experience it all makes a big difference!