By Aysha Iqbal, Director, Wize Communications. (www,wizecomm.co.uk)
If there ever is a need for clearer communication- it is in the workplace. Each day, lack of clarity in our workplace interactions results in misunderstandings, miscommunication and thousands of hours in wasted productivity. Often managers give instructions and tasks to subordinates that are not clearly understood, CEOs relay information that isn’t fully heard and colleagues engage with one another and communicate in such a way that communication is vague, long winded and leaves much room for ambiguity. Encouraging a culture at work of clear communication can help to remove these barriers and inspire greater efficiency, productivity and enhance the wellbeing and potential of employees.
When it comes to the transmission of oral information from one person to another there are three things that we should all be aware of to ensure we are heard clearly and that our colleagues and team members have fully understood and clearly grasped what we are saying.
1)Firstly, we need to ensure that we are clear about what we want to relay to the other person ourselves. Often, we try to relay information to colleagues when we are not crystal clear in our own minds about what we are guiding and instructing them to. Sometimes we are vague, other times pretty clear, but how often are you crystal clear. Crystal clarity only comes when we have taken the time to think through before relaying the information to another person. Although it might feel that it will take more time, in reality, by taking a few minutes longer to clarify what you want to say and then thinking of the clearest way to say it so that you are understood, you can potentially save hours in the long run of miscommunication and tasks not completed correctly.
2)Once we have clarity its time to take out this unnecessary language baggages. You know the ones. Jargon, filler words and going round in circles repeating the same thing in different ways. Its also important to consider who you are relaying the information to and how they are best likely to understand you with regards to their position and personality. When relaying information, the more concise our directions, the clearer and more understood by the other party they will be .
3)The third key to clear communication is to ask for feedback. Often our colleagues or subordinates can be hesitant to admit they have not grasped what we are saying and they are unlikely to want to admit this or to ask us for clarity. So to ensure you have been heard well, it’s good to encourage your colleagues to repeat what you have told them or for you to ask if they would like you to repeat the info to them. Even better, perhaps ask them to take notes. By taking notes, they will have the info on record and this is a great way to ensure that they are clear and totally on point with what you have discussed.
So next time you want to be heard loud and clear, remember to take some time out to think it through properly, avoid jargon, filler words and long winded sentences and ask the recipient to discuss what you just told them – so you are both on the same page.
1- know what you want to say and think about the best way to say it so the recipient understands you
2- avoid long winded language using jargon and lots of fillers
3-Ask the other person to repeat what you have told them and just let them know you want to be sure they have understood you and did them to feel free to ask any questions