Ready? Set? Here we Go!
Over the next few days, you will receive a series of emails that focus on fast ways to improve communication. Which begs the question, what is communication?
Action Step: Take a moment to think about and/or write down what you believe communication is?
Here’s a text book definition that I believe hits the nail on the head:
Communication: Two-way process of reaching mutual understanding, in which participants not only exchange (encode-decode) information, news, ideas and feelings but also create and share meaning.
That’s where we are aiming to go. But before we get there, let’s take a look at one of the top reasons people fail to communicate.
Action Item: Let’s look at some images:
Do you see an Native American or a cave? Are you able to see both?
Do you see an old lady or a young maiden? Are you able to see both?
How long does it take you to find “bean man”?
Can you find the hidden baby?
And now, just for fun (this one drove me crazy), say the colors out loud (not the words you see). Can you do it in 15 seconds? 10 seconds?
If you were at one of our training sessions, you would discover that some people can only see one image but not the other. In fact, if they weren’t told that there was another perspective, or notice that other people in the room were seeing things differently, they wouldn’t believe that there are other ways to see things.
A family relative used to say, “A person can’t talk to him… you talk to him!”
Learning principal:
If I am used to seeing things one way, it’s very difficult for me, on my own, to realize that there is another way to look at things.
If someone is used to seeing things one way, it’s very difficult for them, on their own, to realize that there is another way to look at things.
Ta da! If the celestial choir isn’t singing to you now, and your life hasn’t been rocked to the core, you’re probably thinking … Duh!
However, even though this point seems very obvious, in study after study …
One of the main reasons that people fail to communicate is that they ASSUME that others see things exactly like they do, AND they do not take steps to VERIFY if this is true.
Here’s your next action challenge:
Action Item – During the rest of the day, see if you can discover a time where there was miscommunication. Think about the cause and see if it was based on either you or the other person assuming that there was clear communication. If it did not happen to you, perhaps you observed it happening with others. Or, it may have been in the past.
Ask yourself the following:
Why did I think we were on the same page?
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Stay tuned for your next email to discover some action steps that will make a real difference.