Avoiding Miscommunication in the Workplace
We’ve all had the experience of sending a message and having it completely misunderstood! Sometimes the misunderstanding results in major mistakes, costs, and even broken relationships. This is all avoidable!
Miscommunication is a leading cause of easily avoided conflict.
The first rule for managing conflict in the workplace is to not add to it! Ensuring clean communication takes place is an excellent place to start.
Here are some tips to avoid simple miscommunications that will save a lot of clean-up time later!
1. When you send a written communication, Slow Down!
Often simple grammatical errors can lead to major misunderstandings, misdirection, and cost. Re-read your completed message looking for errors. Read from the recipients' viewpoint.
When you use pronouns, is it crystal clear who you are talking about? (Hint: Often it is only clear in your head!) If it isn’t absolutely clear, spell out who you are meaning!
Is more background info needed to ensure that the recipient understands the message? If so, add the background.
Is the message worded in a manner that is simple and clear - even to someone who reads your language poorly? If not - rewrite it!
Do you use jargon and acronyms that the recipient might not fully understand? For example, in the same organization, I’ve seen the acronym GDP stand for three completely different topics - which did you intend? Which did the recipient think you intended? Spell it out!
2. Avoid sarcasm!
Sarcasm is saying, or writing the opposite of what you mean and hoping that the recipient understands based on subtle hints, that you mean the opposite. This doesn’t work – especially when people speak different native languages, are from different cultures, or have a different perspective.
3. Ask clarifying questions.
When you reread a message you are sending, think about the obvious questions or confusion that could result, and then fix your message appropriately to avoid confusion. When you receive a message that is less than 100% clear, do not fill in the gaps with your assumptions – ask questions!
4. Be aware of the communication style preferences of your team members
Communication styles can be categorized and described in many different ways. The method I find the most useful is the communication color scheme. This method often breaks communication preferences into four categories;
Red: Action-oriented, impulsive, wants clear short-term objectives.
Yellow: Empathetic, intuitive, values human relationships.
Green: Creative, conceptual.
Blue: Precise, analytical, prefers consistency and logic.
It is important to understand the preferred style of the people you need to communicate with – your team members, your peers, your bosses, your customers… The challenge is that people who prefer one type of communication will find another style annoying or even offensive!
If you understand a person’s preferred communication style you can avoid conflict!
5. Be aware of your own unconscious biases and help others to be aware of theirs!
Everyone has unconscious biases – it's part of the evolutionary process we have gone through over millennia. By purposely uncovering your own biases, you can manage their impact – and in doing so, avoid unnecessary conflict!
These can all be summarized as being deliberately careful and complete in your communication! While this isn’t enough to ensure great communication takes place, it’s a great start toward avoiding the majority of errors in interpreting intent and meaning.
Being more careful and deliberate in our communication is a simple concept that so often gets missed in today’s work environment where there never seems to be time to do things thoroughly and carefully up front – partly because we spend too much time cleaning up the messes we caused in our haste!
