Communicating with people – how to avoid some traps

We are all aware of cases in which, couples divorced because they were not able to communicate with each other, employees that left a company because they couldn’t communicate with their supervisors, businesses that failed because they weren’t able to understand their clients.

 

All these situations are well known to most of us, but the question is … why is it so hard to communicate with somebody else?

 

Without going too much into details on the technicality of the communication process nor its technical aspects that would be relevant only to a specialist, let’s talk a bit about this topic that is so important to our businesses and even more to our lives.

 

Some of the key elements of this process include:

 

  1. A sender = who is the person or organization that sends his/ her ideas (or message) to another person;
  2. A receiver = the individual or individuals to whom the message has been sent;
  3. A message = can be an idea, feeling, concept, suggestion, guidelines, orders or any content which is intended to be communicated;

 

Of course, there are other elements, but let’s just concentrate on the above.

 

One of the traps of the communication process is that it is a two-way street, which means that sender and receiver switch roles quite frequently. Actually, they should change roles, but sometimes they don’t. The reason for that could be that the sender wants to hold the monopoly on the process, maybe having a ‘know it all attitude’, somebody that thinks – I am here to speak and they are here to listen. Another reason could be that the receiver doesn’t want to actively participate in the process, or is apathetic and indifferent, somebody that thinks – I am here to listen and he/ she is here to speak.

 

Well, feedback is part of the communication process, as it allows the sender to monitor the process and to evaluate the success of the message being communicated. Sometimes the feedback is in fact coming, but the sender is not catching it. It’s possible that the receiver is responding through signals, such as a comment, a smile, a sigh, or rolling his/her eyes that are not being perceived by the sender. The feedback increases the effectiveness of communication. No response from the receiver is also a form of feedback.

 

Another trap could be the message itself. Is it suitable or correct for that receiver, for that occasion or place? Is the sender trying to teach trigonometry and logarithm rules to five-year children? Let’s have in mind that the closer the message is to the audience, or the more relevant it is to that receiver, the better the communication will be. Remember – the message is crafted to meet the needs of the receiver. As a sender, one should try to adjust the message to the public and use the right channel to transmit it.

 

As the message can be intentional or non-intentional, sometimes the sender is transmitting one verbal message that says A, but the non-verbal message says B. I still remember that motivational speaker that was saying how excited he was to be there with us, but his face and his tone were showing exactly the opposite. Therefore, the message needs to be consistent or the receiver will not trust the sender.

 

This leads us to the final trap that we will address, which is the noise. In a communication process, any phenomenon that disrupts the message in its transmission, is considered a noise. It is a distraction that will finally interfere with the process itself. Some examples of external noises are sights, sounds, and other factors that draw people’s attention away from the message. Some may originate from the sender, some from the receiver and some outside their control. Even the grammar, technical language or idiom used by the sender could be a noise if the receiver cannot understand it clearly. Sometimes, the same word can have different meanings in different countries or regions, what can create funny or dangerous situations. As a sender, one should know the audience beforehand and gather information about them. These are barriers that may have an impact on the communication process and should be kept to a minimum, as much as possible.

 

The communication process seems to be a matter where empathy can play a key role. Assuming that a successful and effective communication is something in everybody’s best interests, the sender should try to put himself/ herself in the receiver’s shoes and vice versa. It’s not that this will avoid and eliminate all the traps mentioned above, but this will definitely help solve issues that may arise out of courteous and polite relationships. Both, personally and professionally speaking. At the end of the day, effective communication leads to understanding, and this is what we want as human beings.

 

This article is for general, indicative purpose only and should not be considered investment advice. Florida Connexion is not liable for any financial loss, damage, expense or costs arising from your investment decisions based on this article.

 

At Florida Connexion our multidisciplinary business brokers can assist you in identifying the right business for you and the right buyer for your business.