Back to Basics in Communicating
Stephen Sestina – Director of Human Resource Services and Education

To illustrate the importance of reliable communication lets look at the Sago Mine Disaster in 2006.  On January 2, 2006 a blast lead to a collapse in the Sago Mine in West Virginia.  In all, 13 miners were trapped in the mine.  The miners were two miles into the mine and 280 feet below the surface.

The following day, it was reported that 12 of the miners were still alive after someone who was listening to a police scanner thought he heard the news.  This person ran into the church where family members were praying and shared his news.  The friends and families of the workers began to celebrate.  It was even reported in several news sources that the miners were alive and that rescue efforts were on the way.  CNN, Reuters, The New York Times and the Associated press all released stories stating they were alive.  The Governor, who was in the church when the announcement was made, was sharing in the celebration.  Congresswoman Capito made a public statement stating they were alive. 

The true story wasn’t so joyous.  The message that the person, who reported the news to the church, really heard was that 12 of the 13 workers were dead and there was only one survivor.  How could something this big, be communicated incorrectly on such a large level?

We all communicate, whether at work, home, with our boss, co-workers, our spouse, and our children.  We all use different methods of communication everyday.  We make phone calls; send e-mails, use social media outlets like Facebook or Twitter, make presentation in meetings. When we communicate, we use both verbal and non-verbal communication cues.  But do you communicate effectively and efficiently?  How well is your message received?  Does the receiver of your message simply hear words or do they receive the true meaning and intent of your communication.  Is the receiver truly listening or is their attention diverted elsewhere?  Are you and/or the receiver hurrying off to a meeting, answering a ringing telephone while they are listening to you or leaving to play golf?

We often think because we say or write words, that our message was received and understood.  We don’t give it a second thought. We get up from the computer or walk away from the individual with whom we just “communicated” with and think the message was received.  When in reality, this could be the furthest from the truth.

We all have stories about miscommunication and the lessons learned through personal experiences in our careers.  Maybe you were involved in a conversation that went something like this:

Director of Operations: “I need 2 new employees trained today and tomorrow”
HR Manager: “Okay”.

THE NEXT DAY…

Director of Operations: “Why are there 4 new employees, we only needed two.”
HR Manager: “You said you needed 4.  I trained 2 yesterday and 2 this morning just like you asked for?”

Looking back at the conversation, would it have been clear and concise if it went like this:

Director of Operations: “I need 2 new employees.  Train them both today and tomorrow.”
HR Manager: “Okay.  I will get 2 employees trained, I will start them today and finish the training tomorrow”

3 Basic Main Elements to Communication
There are three basic main elements to communication.

• The sender – the one delivering the message
• The message – the point the sender wishes to deliver
• The receiver (audience) – the one receiving the message

Let’s take a closer look at the three main elements to communication in more detail.
First, as the sender of the message are you:

• Clear, is your message clear?  If you are not sure, than in all probability your audience will not be sure.
• Concise with your message, you have to stick to the point and don’t ramble on going in many directions.
• Courteous when delivering your message, were you genuine and polite when delivering your message?

Second, your message, was it:

• Concrete, do you have a solid message to deliver.  Is there room for misinterpretation?
• Correct, ensure that your message is correct, especially if you are delivering a technical message, so your audience will not be misled or cause you to lose credibility.
• Coherent, is your message logical and does it stay on point?
• Complete, did you say everything you wanted to say? Did the audience receive the true meaning of your message?

Thirdly, the receiver, did the audience grasp the full meaning of the message, were they actively listening?

• Was the audience giving you their full physical attention?
• Was the audience concentrating on your words and emotions?
• Did the audience use techniques such as paraphrasing, recapitulation what you said, asking questions?
• Did the audience establish and open posture to receive your message?

Roadblocks to Communication
The 3 main elements of communication are important when delivering a message to an individual or group of individuals.   However, the sender must be aware of communication roadblocks and keep them in mind when sending the message.
Common roadblocks to effective communications include the following;

• Poor choice of the communication channel (Verbal vs. Written, E-mail vs. direct or one on one, etc.)
• Language
• Physical Distractions
• Difference in Status
• Emotions
• Perception
• Information Overload
• Ineffective Listening
• Filtering Negative Information
• Aggressive (Criticizing, Interrogating, Blaming)
• You Messages (Preaching, Moralizing)
• Authority (Ordering, Intimidating, Commanding)

By being aware of these roadblocks and how to navigate your message around them, you are ensuring that your message is received as it was intended.

Following Up with Review of your Message

Too be sure that your message is received properly you may find yourself in a position where you have to review the message with the receiver to ensure that it was indeed received.

For example, perhaps the conversation about the new employees had a different answer than the earlier response from the receiver.

Director of Operations: “I need 2 new employees.  Train them both today and tomorrow.”
HR Manager: “Okay… No problem” (As he/she is looking at his/her watch)

In this case, you cannot be sure if the receiver properly understood you.  In this case you need to take an extra step to ensure that the message was received.  In this instance you want to “Review Your Message”:

Director of Operations: “I need 2 new employees.  Train them both today and tomorrow.”
HR Manager: “Okay… No problem” (As he/she is distracted and looking at his/her watch)
Director of Operations: “Great, just to be sure we understand each other, over the next two days, you are going to train 2 new employees right?”
HR Manager: “Yes, I will train 2 new employees over the next 2 days”.
Conclusion

Being a good communicator and a good “receiver” require continuous practice. With practice you can verify that your messages are properly received.  While it is possible to over communicate, communicating too little is far worse, especially when the message affects your ability to do business, maintain production levels and affects your company or organization financially.  Sometimes, we all need to get back to the basics of communications in order to see how well our message is received by our “receivers”.