I did some work a couple of weeks back, and had a conversation that echoed a conversation from not long before that. It was regarding effective communication skills.
Communicating is basically conveying a message, and ensuring that the message is received adequately. Now, we all think we know how to communicate. But I’ve found that the latter half of the communication matrix – namely, ensured understanding – is often times overlooked.
If a supervisor tells someone something multiple times and it doesn’t get accomplished, too often the supervisor will raise their voice, shout, take “corrective action”, or just let the employee go. Without any indication as to whether the instruction was understood.
Sometimes, no further inquiry is needed. The employee ignored or was incapable of following the instructions. But there are many times when the instruction isn’t understood. In that instance, the fault isn’t with the employee, but with the supervisor.
While I spoke about it in regards to the workplace, any relationship can have failed communication. The ensured understanding is just as important as the meaning in the message, and more often than not, that’s where communication falls apart.
Michael's Musings 