TOW#496 — Misunderstandings
The more we communicate daily, the more misunderstandings we have to deal with. We’ve discussed this topic many times, why they happen and how they happen, and we’ve always found a solution, but the number of misunderstandings seems to be increasing regardless.
Misunderstandings most often happen during:
- Written communication — just go on social media and you’ll see two people arguing (they might even be saying the same thing), but because they don’t know how to express themselves, not only do they argue, but different camps get formed. Avoid written communication about sensitive topics or topics that become sensitive!
- Non-active listening — we don’t listen to each other and don’t want to understand the other side, instead we want to impose our point of view!
- Patience/Tolerance — we have a very short fuse and we’re on guard when we’re around people, so of course misunderstandings happen.
- Changes — people change, and we don’t accept or don’t want to accept those changes in them, so as a result we think the person’s regressed somehow when in fact that’s not the case.
And while communication is critical for every business and our everyday lives, and misunderstandings have a greater impact than words of praise, we still don’t want to do our best to reduce misunderstandings or ensure they never happen (I think it’s impossible not to have them at all, but it sounds nice).
It’s actually very simple. In order to avoid misunderstandings, the instructions we give must be clear, precise and with as few opportunities for additional questions as possible. Nevertheless, while avoiding the above reasons for misunderstandings, it’s also necessary to:
- Repeat instructions — repetition is the mother of knowledge, so ask for instructions that are given to you to be repeated so you can see whether or not you understood everything properly;
- Oral and written communication — after each oral communication take the time to write down everything that was agreed, share it with everyone involved and make sure that what you agreed upon is the same as what’s been written down!;
- Confirmation — if you’re the one giving instructions, ask the others to confirm that they’ve understood the instructions in the same way that you intended them.
- Words — keep in mind that we’re all different and the way of expressing things and giving instructions should be adapted to those who are listening to you. Choose words according to the situation and the people.
- Focused — when giving or receiving instructions, be focused. Nothing will change over that 5 minute period, but the mistakes and problems that can happen later can be overwhelming!
- Concrete — be concrete and specific. Use as few words and sentences as possible to transmit what’s necessary, but be specific!
- Learn — learn from every misunderstanding and try not to repeat it, at the very least not with the same person!
I hope you understand the need to reduce misunderstandings in everyday communication and the problems that can arise, so start working on reducing them from now on!
Wishing you success with the changes to come,
@kalinbabusku
Member of the Team
“Tip of the Week” Team member
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