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Avoiding Communication Failures

Communication skills require just common sense, a bit of homework and a better understanding of the role it plays — in the entire scenario. Listening skills are the most ignored aspect of good communication skills. More misunderstandings occur due to poor listening than to misstatements.  Accuracy, Brevity and Clarity are common requirements. People appreciate short sentence. They are often confused by long, convoluted ones. Some excellent communicators are deemed less for not contributing in meetings.

Writing speech is also a big part of communication. Let e-mails, weekly reports and other writings strengthen clear thinking, organizational skills, attention to detail and ability to express important ideas.  Spelling matters, even in e-mails.  White space is used, lists are numbered and bulleted items are used to communicate more effectively. Always review the writing.

Speak up. It is always advisable for taking a public speaking class to improve oral communication skills. The new skills, offline practice and confidence gleaned will help in meetings, in giving reports and in making presentations. Practice can help confidently to give a speech. It is advisable to make a cold call and. train others.

Barriers to Good Communication

There are two types of barriers to: environmental and personal.  Conscious efforts to devote time and attention to communication can overcome  It is always advisable to reduce barriers, reduce hierarchical levels, tailor words and symbols, reinforce words with action, use multiple channels of communication, and understand each other’s frame of reference and beliefs. There are several barriers to communication, including,

• Language: The communicating message might not use vocabulary that is understood by the receiver – e.g. too much use of technical or financial jargon
• Noise: Poor connection, background noise, distractions, and too many people speaking various things stop a message from getting through or being heard
• Overload: Too much information can cause problems e.g. slow down decision making
• Emotion: The relationship between the sender and receiver might adversely affect the message – which could be ignored or misinterpreted
• Gaps: Too many intermediaries might prevent or distort the message
• Inconsistency: If people receive conflicting or inconsistent messages, then they may ignore or block them.

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