Message Not Received. Simon Phil

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      Phil Simon

      Message Not Received

Additional praise for Message Not Received: Why Business Communication Is Broken and How to Fix It

      “The message comes through loud and clear in Phil Simon’s smart new book: Today’s workplace is drowning in information overload, bad communication, and missed opportunities. Simon shows us the path forward with his savvy and practical advice.”

– Dorie ClarkAdjunct Professor,Duke University Fuqua School of Business;Author of Reinventing You

      “In a world where disjointed and disorganized communication is the norm, Message Not Received arrives at the perfect time. Phil Simon provides tremendous insights and practical approaches to improve our communication both in and out of the office. If you want to make sure your words are actually heard (not just delivered), then you need to read this book.”

– Mike VardyProductivity Strategist;Founder of Productivityist

      “In today’s business world, communication is more important and easily accessible than ever before – so why are we making it so complicated? In Message Not Received, Phil Simon closely examines why keeping it simple amounts to clear and efficient communication. I highly recommend that everyone in business take Simon’s direction.”

– Larry WeberChairman & CEO of Racepoint Global;Author of The Digital Marketer

      “Look behind any business failure and you’ll find the lack of communication as a root cause. Phil Simon’s latest book, Message Not Received, examines how and why the latest technologies that are intended to radically improve business communication too often obstruct it instead. Simon’s book provides thorough, effective strategies for enabling effective organizational collaboration and communication to ensure business messages are indeed received. If you want to improve your organization’s communication skills, you owe it to yourself to read this book.”

– Robert CharettePresident, ITABHI Corporation

      “An essential resource for business clarity. Read Message Not Received to learn how to strip out the jargon and quit confusing people with buzzwords.”

– Anita CampbellFounder and CEO of Small Business Trends

      “A refreshingly relevant critique of modern business communication.”

– Michael SchrenkOnline Intelligence Consultant;Author of Webbots, Spiders, and Screen Scrapers

      Message Not Received

      WHY BUSINESS COMMUNICATION IS BROKEN AND HOW TO FIX IT

      Phil Simon

      Cover design: Luke Fletcher

      Copyright © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

      Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

      Published simultaneously in Canada.

      No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750 – 8400, fax (978) 646 – 8600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748 – 6011, fax (201) 748 – 6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

      Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

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      Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.

       Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

      Simon, Phil.

      Message not received: why business communication is broken and how to fix it/Phil Simon.

      pages cm

      Includes bibliographical references and index.

      ISBN 978-1-119-01703-5 (hardback); ISBN: 978-1-119-04812-1 (ePDF);

      ISBN: 978-1-119-04821-3 (ePub)

      1. Business communication. 2. Business communication–Technological innovations.

      I. Title.

      HF5718.S565 2015

      651.7 – dc23

2014038167OTHER BOOKS BY PHIL SIMON

      The Visual Organization: Data Visualization, Big Data, and the Quest for Better Decisions

      Too Big to Ignore: The Business Case for Big Data

      The Age of the Platform: How Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google Have Redefined Business

      The New Small: How a New Breed of Small Businesses Is Harnessing the Power of Emerging Technologies

      The Next Wave of Technologies: Opportunities in Chaos

      Why New Systems Fail: An Insider’s Guide to Successful IT Projects

To Marillion:Thank you for showing me a better way of life

      The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do.

– B. F. Skinner

      We become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us.

– Marshall McLuhan

      Preface

      What we got here is.. failure to communicate.

– Captain, Road Prison 36, Cool Hand Luke

      On February 4, 2014, Microsoft concluded its extensive search to replace its retiring Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the easily excitable Steve Ballmer. On that day, the company named Satya Nadella as only the third CEO in its storied history. Given Microsoft’s stature and reach, one could argue that Nadella represented the most significant executive appointment since Tim Cook succeeded Steve Jobs as Apple’s head honcho on August 24, 2011.

      Running a 50,000-employee corporation as powerful and culturally significant as Apple cannot be considered easy. In the whole scheme of things, though, few, if any,