Tovias MillikenTovias Milliken Monday at 05:39
Mornin folks! Quick question for the group, has anyone overcome struggles with business /workplace communication? If so, what did you learn? For example, I often struggle formulating my thoughts into an understandable, clear, and purposeful way.Does anyone have any advice, or practical application for improving communication skills? Especially in our field?
Edward WhetstoneEdward Whetstone Monday at 09:51
I think generally, it’s worth thinking of communication as an iterative and collaborative process, rather than a transactional one. Ask for clarification, and provide clarification in turn. Re-phrase questions and requests in your own words to ensure you understand what was said.A few general thoughts…
- Just because I’ve said something, doesn’t mean anyone heard it (or understood it)
- Just because I think I understand what someone else said, doesn’t mean I do
- You might think you know how someone will answer a question. Ask anyways.
If you are having trouble putting thoughts into words, enlist help. This can include whomever you’re communicating with; in my experience, it’s often best to start the conversation before your thoughts on a topic are fully-formed.Obviously all of this is contextual; there are times when you really do need to carefully craft an email or message, but most of the time communication is messy and that’s totally fine, so long as you work to ensure that a consensus of understanding is reached before those conversations become action.
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Steve TheodoreSteve Theodore Wednesday at 15:55
Those are great comments.Don’t forget a few other things:
- A picture is worth 1000 words. Visual aids, diagrams, mockups, etc are extremely valuable for moving discussions along. It’s likely that the majority of arguments you have with coworkers are not about the thing you think you said, it’s the about the thing they thought you said. Richer communications channels of all kind cut down on the chatter
- Practice concisions. Nobody reads 5 page docs, even if well written. Few people read 3 page docs. It’s useful to have lots of info, but if your message doesn’t fit into < 500 words it’s likely to get lost
- An aid to #2 is being ruthless about the distinction between structure of your point and the details. Including detailed info is great for convincing people you know your stuff, but it can detract from the message. Foreground the key parts and move the supporting data into footnotes, appendices, etc.
- You rarely win with a big detailed plan that drops out of nowhere. Get your story straight in your own head, then bring it to one or two people at a time. Take their feedback and either incorporate it or address it as a potential objection / FAQ. Build consensus slowly, dropping a completed plan cold into a meeting full of people who have not been prepped is rarely going to work.
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Edward WhetstoneEdward Whetstone Wednesday at 16:42
^ Excellent point about visual communication. I’m constantly diagramming stuff even just for myself
Edward WhetstoneEdward Whetstone Wednesday at 16:44
Another good one, and something I’ve tried to incorporate as a core belief for myself:
- You cannot learn a thing you think you know
(This is also a lyric from a Poets of the Fall song.)