In a previous blog, we discussed the true meaning and importance of active listening, both in the workplace and within personal relationships. We also outlined some practical steps to cultivate the art of active listening. Living in an ever increasing digital world, with so many forms of communication (text, email, direct messaging, phone, social media), it has become even more necessary to communicate with clear purpose and intention and ensure that your intention is clearly conveyed to the receiver/s; whether you are a project manager, a controller, CEO or staff accountant, proper communication has become even more necessary.
In this blog, we will take a deeper dive into the communication process itself. We will discuss some barriers to effective communication, some examples of those barriers, and solutions that you can implement to successfully break through those obstacles to mutual understanding.
Just as a review, the basic communication cycle involves 4 steps:
1. The communicator thinks about the message that he/she wants to convey to the listener.
2. The communicator says it.
3. The listener hears it.
4. The listener interprets the core meaning and intent of the message, and responds accordingly.
Let’s consider how communication gaps can occur between these 4 steps, and what you can do to navigate around them.
Gap #1: Unclear Messaging
The first potential breakdown in communication can occur when the communicator does not effectively convey his intended message to the listener.
Why it occurs: There could be several reasons why this happens. In many cases it’s a simple misuse of language, such as an improper sentence construction, a dangling modifier, or another grammatical misdemeanor. Or perhaps the speaker has not taken time to organize his thoughts, and currently has only a vague conception of the message he wants to convey. Whatever the case may be, the ultimate result to the listener is a message that contains a partially (or completely) obscured meaning.
An example: One simple example that illustrates the confusion unclear messaging can cause involves a team manager who tells one of his employees that he’ll “circle back around” to check on his progress. If the employee is working on a deadline-oriented project, then such vague terminology may serve to obscure any clear time-based expectations that the manager has.
The solution: The only way to truly eliminate this barrier to effective communication is for the communicator to effectively organize his thoughts before he speaks. In order to do so, he may need to take a few moments and ask himself such questions as:
● Who is my audience?
● What is my viewpoint?
● What meaning do I want to convey?
Practicing mindfulness in this way before the first words depart from your lips can help you, in the role of the communicator, to eliminate the first potential barrier to good communication.
Gap #2: Incomplete Reception
Now let’s transition to the role of the listener. Perhaps the communicator has presented his thoughts in an effective way, and yet the listener does not fully understand or retain the content of the message.
Why it occurs: The main culprit here is typically distraction. In today’s society, we are so accustomed to “multi-tasking” that we’ve become experts at doing many things very poorly – and this includes listening to other people. Or in some scenarios, we’ve attempted to be a good listener, but due to noise disruption or some other factor we simply miss part of the target message. In any event, we have not received the intended communication in its totality.
An example: At a meeting between team members of a company’s marketing department, the team leader stresses the need to “optimize web content,” and briefly outlines ways that the team can work together to accomplish this goal. However, a distracted employee assumes that the team leader is referring to SEO, when in fact he is outlining how the marketing team can collaborate with developers to optimize the technical aspects of the company’s website. Such a misunderstanding can easily lead to future issues.
The solution: Asking clarifying questions is the key. Perhaps you’ll want to restate to the speaker what you think you heard, and thus obtain either a confirmation of the original message or a correction of your restated message.
Even before this point, however, you can demonstrate your commitment to this interaction with your conversation partner by pausing your current activity (e.g. putting away your smartphone), and giving him or her your undivided attention. After all, it’s a scientific fact that we can only focus on one thing at a time.
Gap #3: Inaccurate Translation
Okay, let’s say that the communicator has clearly and concisely stated his message, and the listener has received the full and accurate content of that message. Could a communication gap still occur after that point? Absolutely. There is always a possibility that the listener will misinterpret the intent of the message.
Why it occurs: There is a famous axiom that states: “We see things not as they are, but as we are.” Factors such as personality, and past experience, coupled with the tone and body language of the communicator, can easily lead the listener to misjudge the core meaning behind the content of the message.
An example: A consultant presents a draft of a company’s proposed mission statement to the organization’s executive board. While the majority of the board members are pleased with the draft, one of the executives says that he doesn’t feel the mission statement aligns with the company’s core values. At this point, the presenting consultant doesn’t know why the executive feels that way, but suspects that this objection is merely a manifestation of friction within the company.
Thus, the consultant has a choice: treat his assumption as the truth, and act accordingly, or seek to understand where the executive is truly coming from.
The solution: The main solution for overcoming this communication barrier is to exercise empathy. You must ask questions that can help to clarify intent rather than merely content. Take context into account. Strive to understand and acknowledge your conversation partner’s perspective. If you feel that there is a subtext to the message, look for ways to tactfully draw it out.
Exercising empathy in this way will help you to glean valuable insights into not only the message’s surface content, but also the true meaning behind it.
The Power of Active Listening
The wonderful thing about active listening is that it can remove most, if not all, barriers to effective communication within any given interaction. And with those barriers eliminated, good results will inevitably follow. This is true in both the professional and personal realms of life. For instance:
● A project manager that actively listens to his team members’ feedback will be able to efficiently pinpoint the areas with which they are currently struggling, and allocate additional support (personnel, training, etc.) to those areas.
● An employee that actively listens to his manager will not hesitate to ask clarifying questions regarding instructions that he doesn’t fully understand. This will save time and frustration later on, for all parties involved.
● A parent that actively listens to his misbehaving teenager will gain insight into the challenges that he/she is facing, and be able to provide appropriate support and direction.
Clearly, there is a lot of latent power contained within the art of active listening, clear communication, effective processes and procedures.
To learn more about how BizVisory can support your business with advisory, well-defined business processes and lines of communication, systems and integrations, contact us for a complimentary consultation.