Communication breaks down when i’s aren’t dotted and t’s
aren’t crossed. It is mistaken to assume
that the message will get through when the message is incomplete.
Being understood is your responsibility. When you take the time to make sure your
communication is clear you are taking your responsibility seriously. Being understood is essential for success in
sales or leadership.
Of course, just as important as being understood is making
sure you understand. Here too you must
take responsibility.
Understanding begins with careful listening; listening with
the intent to understand. What is the
other person saying? Why are they saying
it? Are they making any assumptions in
their communication? Have they left out
any potentially important details? What
does their tone of voice tell you? What
is their body language saying? Does what
they are saying fit in the context?
One valuable technique in understanding is to repeat what
the person said. Another valuable tool
is to repeat the message by paraphrasing.
“What I hear you saying is…,” “As
I understand it, you…,” “If I understand correctly, you would like…”
Writing down notes to help you remember is also extremely
valuable. The action of writing the
ideas down helps in memorization and improves understanding. It also gives you a brief moment for
reflection and gives you a chance to follow up with clarifying questions.
Empowered with accurate information at the beginning will
help you in your quest to be understood.
It will help you execute important documents expertly. It will help you share precise instructions
with subordinates or customers. Complete
understanding on your part will eliminate confusion and allow you an
opportunity to communicate to others effectively.
When you are delivering your message you can proactively
think about helping the other person understand your motivation and your assumptions. You can plan for and deliver the appropriate
level of detail. You can finely tune
your tone of voice and your body language.
You can make sure that your message and your actions are congruent with
one another and the context of the situation.
When you begin to pay attention to the details your
communication will improve greatly and along with it your performance.