Communication 101

At PSQ we use a performance measurement system called COMPETE©, which has a complete section dealing with COMMUNICATION, and we know from experience this section regularly receives the lowest rating in our reviews.

            A general manager at a company we work with once said “I am a great communicator, every Friday I call the staff together and tell them what I want them to know”. Unfortunately he failed to make any connection to the staff. He didn’t listen to them, he spoke in terms they couldn’t understand, only told them part of the truth and never gave the staff the chance to be actively involved in the meetings. The result was that the staff hated these Friday “Rant Sessions”, attended them reluctantly and didn’t listen at all. That manager completely failed to communicate.

            Another company told me that they had made a great job of communicating the company Mission Statement to their staff. I asked how they had done this and they said, “Go and look, it’s up there in reception”. So I looked in reception and there it was. Six paragraphs full of very long and complicated words that I had to read several times before I began to understand it. The fog index was off the chart. No factory worker ever goes through reception and almost all of the staff spoke Zulu, not University level English. Communication achieved - NIL!

            There are hundreds of examples like this; consider procedures manuals, operating instructions for products, press releases, company policies and more. Most are poorly written, often they are only written as an afterthought or to comply with the law.

            The problem with poor communication is that the people on the receiving end then start to act on their view of the situation rather than reality. Management see this and, not understanding the root cause, they react to the symptoms. The result is a lot of wasted effort that could be focused on productive activities.

            So, how should we communicate? Firstly – understand your audience. What language are they most comfortable with? How well do they read? Should you rather use verbal or written methods? What about using pictures rather than words or even some sort of role play?  Note that I am asking questions. A big part of communicating well is to get input from others.

Consider who should actually carry out the communication, perhaps the boss is the wrong person; a supervisor might be better because the staff relate to him/her. Look at the best time and place to communicate so that you get the most effective results. People absorb information best when they feel comfortable.

Don’t bombard people with “noise”; only give them the facts and keep it simple. Use short sentences when writing procedure manuals and instructions. Do not add anything extra; that only distracts the reader.

Spend much more time listening actively to others. Hear what they have to say, don’t just prepare your next comment regardless of their input. Communication is much more about receiving information than imparting it.

A last point for now – look at your own organization with new eyes. Read your procedures manuals and try to follow the instructions in practice. Look at the company notice board and remove the out of date notices. The next time you brief your staff, ask a colleague to stand at the back and to observe what is going on around.  Be prepared to modify your behaviour so as to improve your communication.

For more information, or to comment, contact Eric Warner CPIM CSCP.