Articulation

Articulation

I recently saw a post on Facebook; “I couldn’t love him anymore”. I wondered if that meant their love affair was over, or, quite the opposite, that she was at the maximum amount of love.

All too often we think others understand just what we mean when we direct our employees, when we are speaking with our boss, the board of directors, or most importantly with our customers. It is always clear in our mind what message we are trying to convey but it seems that what is understood can often be significantly different. While thinking about this notion, how often do you suppose this occurs?

“I know you think you understand what you thought I said

but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.”

When I am creating a spreadsheet, a business plan, or discussing an issue with a business owner having troubles, I often say “if you can articulate it, I can build it, write it, or solve it”.  But sometimes I am led down a rabbit hole, thinking that they want something different than what they really need. Ideas are a wonderful thing, but without exactness in our communications those ideas will never come to fruition.  Furthermore, in business it is equally important in our marketing message to our customers.

If you could know how much time was being wasted and accomplishments not realized in your business due to inarticulate instructions or communications, I think you would be surprised, and ready to do something about it.

The English language is NOT like numbers which are hard to misinterpret.  It is wrought with ambiguity, but there are some things we can do about it.

1. Try to be exact in your instructions (or promises) to others.
2. When receiving instructions ask follow up questions for further clarity.
3. Make sure others are comfortable, and encourage them, to ask YOU follow up questions for clarity.
4. Use written communication whenever something is the least bit important.
5. Share your vision, goals, and the objectives, so that others understand what you are trying to accomplish, not simply what you want them to do.
6. Ask the listener questions to make sure they understand what you need/want.

In today’s world of remote work, we tend to assign tasks or projects and walk away without much supervision, and all too often we are disappointed with the results.  I would submit to you, that the answer is less about supervision and more about communication. It has been my experience that a lack of effective communication is the root cause of many of the issues and problems we encounter in business operations and in working with others, business or not.

One of the most common complaints about managers from their staff is this; “They are always setting me up for failure”.  To which I usually reply, “Any manager that actually sets someone up for failure is either foolish or inarticulate”.  Why? Because it is not in any manager’s best interest to set another person up for failure, and therefore it is usually because of a lack of effective communications skills.  This makes it difficult for them to make the manager look good by getting the job done professionally, efficiently, and/or to the customer’s satisfaction.

We must use this imperfect language to convey the most precise instructions at all times.  We can not be in such a hurry that we leave ambiguity in the mind of the listener, or not allow them to ask clarifying questions, else the instructor, as well as the instructed will be frustrated, never realizing their objectives.

Over time, as two people work together, they usually develop a shorthand, but we can never assume that the listener fully understands both the instructions as well as the objective. As you become more exact in what you ask for, it is then incumbent for the instructed to provide more exact projections, timelines, and efficiency.  Compounding this, ambiguity breeds rework and waste. This recalls a quote we’ve all heard many times before; “Never enough time to do it right… but always enough time to do it over!”

When we talk about “communication skills” we often think about the humanity of when to talk, and how to talk to others, sensitivity if you will, so that we do not offend or become inappropriate.  That’s all well and good, but exactness in communication is far more important. Even in writing this short blog several edits were made in order to provide more clarity.  Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of rewriting our verbal communications over and over, so we must take other precautions and learn to be precise.  Nothing will cause more angst and disappointment from two parties than ineffective communication.

Without exactness in our communications, we simply spin our wheels in the mud of ambiguity.

Skip Williams

[email protected]