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Can You Hear Me Now? Top Tips To Make Sure Your Communication Isn’t Breaking Up
We don’t know what we don’t know and this is why communication can be challenging. How many of us can honestly say we’re 100% sure our messages are heard and that we’re always perceived as confident, credible and trustworthy? Have you ever walked away from a meeting, media interview or face-to-face conversation with a client saying to yourself, “I shouldn’t have said what I said,” or “I can’t believe I forgot to say…?”
As a leader, you must be able to clearly communicate your purpose and value. Most of us are under the blurred assumption, “If I communicate a message it’s heard.” In reality, your message may not have been heard at all.
Lindsay Edmonds Wickman, Associate Editor for the Chief Learning Officer magazine, states: “…we are are good at analyzing business situations and making decisions, but what we aren’t as good at is communicating with others.”
How do you know if your communication is breaking up? When what you say isn’t consistent with how you say it. For example, when someone tells you “I’m so excited to have this opportunity to work with you,” and they communicate this statement in a monotone and boring voice. Their facial expressions are lifeless. They never look you in the eye and they’re fidgeting with a pen. You’d question their credibility and knowledge, and not take action on what they have to say. To guarantee your message is heard so that you’re communicating with impact and influence, make sure you’re always following these five tips.
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About the Author
Stacey Hanke is founder of 1st Impression Consulting, Inc. and co-author of Yes You Can! Everything You Need From A to Z To Influence Others To Take Action. Her client list is vast from Coca-Cola, Kohl’s, United States Army, Navy and Air Force, Leo Burnett and the FDA. She has been featured with: SmartMoney magazine, Business Week, Chicago WGN and WLS-AM.
Visit Stacey at: www.1stimpressionconsulting.com.
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All too often vital communications go unheard, creating workforce discontent, reducing organizational effectiveness, and alienating clients. Why with today’s advanced communication mechanisms do so many messages go unnoticed? One answer is that people are so overwhelmed with modern society’s messaging that they sometimes don’t recognize the importance of a single announcement; filtering it out as noise. Another reason is that not all people meaningfully receive information in the same way and some important messages are only sent through channels not likely to be received. To overcome both these challenges, managers should consider communicating important messages seven times using seven different media.
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People, regardless of their position, experience anxiety relative to the unknown. Is my job secure? Will I be able to provide for myself and my loved ones? and Will I lose my home? are just a few of the questions that preoccupy the minds of all organization members during uncertain times. Like all distractions, these self survival fears steal time and focus from the job at hand, negatively impacting productivity. Unlike other distractions, these fears are nearly impossible to ignore and will only subside once conditions become more predictable. Therefore, it is critically important that the manager-leader minimize the magnitude and duration of uncertainty by providing subordinates with as much clarifying information as possible. The manager must communicate.
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