Episode 71 - Clear up “Blurry Communication”
I’m happy to say one of the top brewing companies in America is a client of mine. However, during a seminar for the management team of one brewery, we had a “communication wake-up call.” I asked people to write a list of simple words, such as often, sometimes, never, and usually. Then I asked them to put a percentage value next to each. For example, if I say, “He is often late for meetings” then what does often mean? 10%? 50%? 75%? Etc.
The range of answers was astounding! Often went from 5 to 97%! Sometimes was 20 to 80%. Even never was 0 to 100%, with a fourth of the people saying it was somewhere in-between! We were all amazed because we assumed everyone in the room put about the same meaning on these simple words. After all, this was the management team and everyone worked together closely. I’ve done this same exercise with over 200 groups in offices, factories, sales, hospitals, education, even government. Incredibly, the results are always about the same, even among people who communicate regularly with each other.
What does this mean to you? Keep this phenomenon in mind when you write e-mails, memos, reports, instructions, or ask for a pay raise. It’s smart to use numbers in place of words, use specific examples, and ask clarifying questions. You know that different people attach different meanings to your words.
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