Chapter 8 – Monitor
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8.1 Managing the Flow of Information and Communication
(click the activity index number to take you back to the activities index)
An important part of the Monitor role for an Academic Coordinator is the collection and
distribution of information from a range of people on a variety of topics including such
things as teaching performance and student performance. At times, being an Academic
Coordinator can feel like you are standing in the middle of a busy traffic intersection at
peak hour as information flows past you in all directions. Some of the information is on
paper, much is on your University’s web sites. Channelling, managing and ‘directing’
this information flow is an important aspect of your role.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this activity is to assist you in developing
strategies to manage the flow of information and
communication effectively.The paperless office, the promise of the 1970’s is a myth. We all still deal with vast
amounts of information in print, digital and verbal form. We have all become adept at
creating documents, attaching them to websites and emails, and sending them off to
others for comment, information or action. We go to many meetings and sometimes
take away actions from them. In this environment, it is critical that we are very good at
sorting what comes in quickly and efficiently.
To be an effective Academic Coordinator, you will need to at least review all
information that relates both directly and indirectly to your program.
- Some of it you will need to act on immediately;
- Some you will need to pass on;
- Some you may need to file away for future reference; and
- Some will be completely irrelevant and should go straight into the bin.
Developing an effective information management system to deal with emails as well as
paper-based communication and information is an important skill that is worth spending
some time on because it will save you time later.
Quinn, Faerman, Thompson, McGrath, and St. Clair (2007, pp. 116–117) outline a
method of managing information overload called the TRAF system. TRAF is an
acronym for four ways of dealing with the vast amounts of information that passes
though your ‘intersection’ daily. Using such a system can dramatically improve your
efficiency and give you more time to spend on being proactive, for example, initiating
and implementing change, rather than having your days taken up responding or reacting
to the demands of others.