Communication is perhaps the single most important tool that managers have to achieve results through others. Pilots know the importance of communication with the control tower and with passengers. In a continuing series, let’s see how to overcome the most persistent communication challenges.

Effective communication could be defined as people knowing what they are supposed to know, when they are supposed to know it. This can be expanded to include the other person taking the action desired by the sender. So the goal is to have timely, accurate and understood messages that result in the desired action being taken.

The grapevine is lightning fast

One supervisor in a food processing operation tried an experiment recently to see how fast a rumor would be spread from the front of the facility to the back door. It took less than 20 minutes for the message to be transmitted from the front office to the shipping dock. Nearly 300 employees had received some version of the story in that short time. Of course most people had a different version of the story. While you cannot eliminate the grapevine, you can ensure that the normal channels of communication are given equal or greater weight by increasing the amount of information shared by managers and supervisors.

Many progressive organizations spend time at the end of each meeting discussing how to best communicate the information and decisions from the meeting.

The read back to ensure understanding

Pilots have a communication process that virtually eliminates confusion and misunderstandings. We even use phonetic pronunciations instead of simply saying the letters themselves. We might say,”London tower, this is Charlie, Foxtrot, Echo, Delta.” To acknowledge, the tower would respond, “Charlie, Foxtrot, Echo, Delta, this is London”. And so the exchange would continue with a read back from both sides confirming understanding of the message.

Leaders make a common mistake that their message was received and understood the first time. You might even hear in frustration, “They’re adults, I shouldn’t have to repeat myself!” Or, “I told them that, why don’t they just do it!”

In fact most of us don’t get things the first time they are told to us. It is only after hearing the same message over and over that we finally internalize the message and take action. Advertisers know this which is why you will see the same advertising message perhaps dozens of times before you take action.

We have all experienced what happens when someone does take action based on what they thought the message was, only to discover later that they were wrong and had made an assumption.

When communication is unsuccessful, the sender must bear a majority of responsibility. If the control tower or pilot makes a mistake on their read back, the sender clarifies the message.

Method

Too many managers are relying more and more on email for their communication method. While there is no doubt of its convenience, it does not promote relationships. When conducting management training we emphasize the need for managers to get out from behind their computers and put aside their Blackberrys in favor of more face to face conversations.

Leaders need to practice the platinum rule

The golden rule is to “Treat people as you would want to be treated.” The platinum rule is to “Treat people as they want and need to be treated.” In our Persuasion Dynamics course, managers learn about the three different processing styles that people use and how to adapt to those different styles to create greater understanding and buy-in.

The workforce is made up of a mixture of the three processing styles – kinesthetic, auditory and visual so the best communication methods incorporate all three. People will need to be able to hear the message, see the message and in some cases experience the message.

Tips for being a more effective communicator

1. Determine your objective – how do you want people to act differently as a result of your message, and/or what should they know and remember?

2. Select the appropriate methods of communication – what combination of written, verbal and demonstration should be used to ensure the message is received correctly

3. Ask people questions or make observations that tell you whether or not the message has been received and understood

4. Repeat the message often in different ways so that people internalize it.

5. Be an active listener yourself so that you truly hear the messages that other people are sending you.

Take a brief communication audit of your organization and read about three solutions that could positively impact your organization.

Better Communication Checklist

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Persuasion Dynamics Course Info

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