What we have here is a failure to communicate...

What we have here is a failure to communicate...
While this is a quote from Cool Hand Luke (a very old
movie!), it is very appropriate for people in today's
business world. Business communication fails to achieve
its intended purpose at least 70% of the time! The reasons
vary—for example, many people do not listen well. Of
course, all communication is two way. A reason for failed
communication that I've seen in a lot of my work in
Corporate America is that the communicator fails to get
their message across.

Let's say that you are trying to make a culture change. A
crucial element of crucial change is communicating the
message. One of my clients was making a conscientious
effort to shift the culture from one that was only
results-oriented to one that is equally results-oriented
and behaviorally-oriented. (In other words, if you meet
your goals but lose 50% of your people because you were
such a jerk doing it, you do not get rewarded. Makes a lot
of sense, but it's amazing how many companies fail to
reward that way!) My client had to communicate the change
enough. Statistics illustrate that people need to hear a
message between 4 to 21 times before it sinks in. They had
all of the leaders communicating it in the same way. They
took into account that some people comprehend better when
they hear something while others understand better when
they read something. The ideal way to communicate an
important message is to tell people first, and then confirm
it in writing. Naturally, they demonstrated the change
through action, giving feedback and rewarding the right
behavior.

Another important aspect of communicating a message is to
understand the importance of tone and body language.
Studies have shown that only 7% of your message's impact
comes from your actual words. 38% is from your voice tone
and 55% is from your body language.

These statistics have direct implications for the channel
you use. Use face-to-face communication whenever possible,
as it leaves less room for misinterpretation. While e-mail
is very convenient, people overuse it. I challenged one
coaching client to completely stop all e-mail
communications with a co-worker because they were having so
much difficulty communicating. For two weeks, they either
met face-to-face or talked by phone when they needed to
talk. In only two weeks, their relationship was markedly
improved and they saved time because of less
miscommunication.

Take responsibility for how you are communicating your
messages—do it enough, be cognizant of the impact of
tone and body language and use the correct channels. By
becoming more aware of how you are communicating with
others, you can mitigate the number of failed
communications, which directly helps your business success.

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Kerrie Halmi of Halmi Performance Consulting specializes in
increasing women's success in business through speaking,
coaching and facilitation. Kerrie has over fifteen years
of experience in the Human Resources field with such
clients as eBay, Wells Fargo and Kaiser. She received her
MBA from the University of Michigan and is certified in
coaching with Corporate Coach University International.
See
http://www.halmiperformance.com