Rheingold Associates' training in effective online communication skills and practices can multiply individual and organizational productivity at very little cost. Software is not enough to ensure success in online collaboration. Know-how is key.

Many individuals and entire companies inadvertently offend co-workers and customers through uniformed used of email, and interrupt each other with ill-timed or unnecessary instant messages.

In many companies, most employees now devote the first hours of each day to dealing with their email, much of which is unnecessary or ineffective. Employees are importing their instant messaging services to the office, making themselves interruptible during their work day - with no plan designating who should be interrupted by whom, and when. Money and time are squandered on bringing far-flung teams together for face to face meetings when fewer physical meetings, augmented by well-designed message boards and chats would do just as well or better, at far less expense. Meetings are poorly documented, memos are difficult to retrieve, and the community memory is ad hoc or nonexistent. As a result of this communication breakdown, useful knowledge is created in one part of an organization but is not available to other parts of the organization. Highly skilled engineers, managers, sales and marketing personnel who can write and speak professionally often exhibit poor online communication skills.

With the right know-how and a small amount of guided practice, employees can eliminate these liabilities, benefiting the entire organization with their increased communication skills and their ability to effectively use powerful online communication media.

In the knowledge economy, it is a strategic advantage to know how, why, when, and among whom to use appropriate online communication media. Our online effectiveness training is delivered online and customized for each organization.