Hi There,
Happy belated Easter holidays. Is that even valid? The use of the term ‘belated’ has actually never really carried that smoothness with me. For a moment, I was going to use the line ‘Belated Happy Easter’ like my colleague, EK used in one of his recent posts (don’t tell him I wrote this, please!). Truth is, I am not exactly sure which of the two lines are actually wrong or even if both are wrong or correct and I am not about to start that mental exercise right now. I would be happy to read your thoughts on this anyway. Let’s take a vote if you choose to call it that. *chuckles*
I trust you have had an amazing week so far. 3 days in already and that time we call midweek. The beauty of the midweek is the fact that you can sigh and look back at what you have achieved already in the week and also look forward to the end of the week and see it closer at the same time. Then, the week finally ends, and the cycle begins all over again. Like a rat in a running wheel . . . except that in this case we are not exactly rats and our running is not aimless but with a focus to achieve our goals and become more productive with our lives with each passing day.
So, let us take off from where we left things last week in ‘Communication: War on the Two-Way Street’. We continue today with ‘Communication: Calling A Truce’. In case you’re wondering where the ‘violence’ is coming from with the use of terms like war, truce and what have you, it is important to understand that communication could be likened to a war or conflict between two forces trying to conquer each other: the sender/speaker wants to subdue the recipient by making him understand the exact way he intends to pass the information. On the other hand, the recipient wants to subdue the sender/speaker’s information and digest (understand) it the way his brain or intellect captures it. Where there is a disconnection, communication has not at all happened. I reiterate that this is one of the biggest challenges in the workplace today.
We began to talk about feedback last week and the fact that it is a very vital point in ensuring communication happens the way it is meant to; where there is a perfect consonance between what the sender/speaker sends out and what the recipient captures. We established that it is important for the speaker/sender to get that feedback from the recipient to ensure communication is rightly done. This does not end with the speaker/sender alone. The recipient needs to also go the extra mile in getting feedback from the speaker/sender. After listening to, or reading from the sender/speaker, the recipient could go ahead and summarize their understanding of the speaker/sender’s information (with or without feedback being demanded). Expectedly, relevant clarifications are done, and grey areas or misconceptions are dealt with.
Feedback is very key from either or both parties in communication and it is very important for everyone in the workplace to imbibe this communication trait of giving and demanding feedback especially when there is the slightest possibility of ambiguity in communication. I daresay once you do not have 100% clarity, you should demand feedback. 99% clarity might just be enough as that 1% lapse might be all it takes to ruin the entire communication process. Endeavour to put this into practice from now on as a boss or as an employee; a superior or a subordinate; whoever you are. I would be happy to read from you on what your experience is with this new reality. Trust me, there’s no better way to call a truce in communication and end this war on the two-way street.
Don’t forget our upcoming training on Audited Financial Statements for Non-Account Executives (AFS4NAE) coming up this April. Please register by clicking www.afs4nae.21search.ng.
Till next time!
GB