Communicate with Clarity

EIGHTY-FIVE percent of managerial success is contained in the manager's ability to communicate effectively with others. Almost all problems in all relationships, including business and personal relationships, are communications problems.

You have probably had the experience of listening to a person talk at length about a product, service, problem, or a course of action and afterward you still had no idea what he was talking about. This is why clarity is so important in communication. You must be perfectly clear about what it is you want to say, and then be clear in the way that you say it or communicate it to another person.

The Process of Communicating

In a communication, there is a process that takes place. To begin, you think a thought that you then translate into words and say to the other person. The other person hears the words, translates your meaning, and then replies. Words are sounds that go through the air, like radio waves, and hit your brain, where you absorb them, translate their meaning, and then reply in turn.

In this communication process, there are many opportunities for misunderstanding. You could use a word that triggers a different reaction from what you had expected. You could use a word that means something different to the person who is listening. You could mispronounce a word so that it is “garbled in translation.”

When the other person hears your message, she may translate it differently from what you said. What the other person says in response to your words may mean something different from what you hear. There could be noise or distraction in the room, someone walking in or out, or a car passing by, all of which can break the flow of communications and distract either the speaker or the listener.

Preoccupation Distorts Communication

A communications breakdown can be caused by the individual thinking about a fight he had with his wife that morning, a speeding ticket he got on the way to work, something his boss said a few minutes ago, and an upcoming meeting for which he is not prepared. All of these different forms of “noise” can lead to misunderstandings.

If the first watchword in communications is clarity, then the second must be patience. Take your time to communicate slowly and then double-check to be sure that what you said was what the other person heard, and that what the other person said was what you heard and understood as well.

Three Tools of Communication

Managers have three tools of communication: the written word, the one-on-one communication, and the presentation before several people.

You must become excellent in each of these areas of communication.

First, learn how to write well. There are many excellent courses on business writing that can turn any intelligent person into an excellent writer in just a one- or two-day workshop. Written communication requires clarity, brevity, simplicity, and accuracy. Your writing skills can be improved through learning and practice. Your ability to write an excellent letter or proposal can accelerate your career and increase your influence immeasurably.

Second, learn how to communicate one-on-one. Just as in negotiating, preparation is the key to success in individual communication. Prepare your message thoroughly in advance, always thinking about the answer to the question, “What's in it for the other person?”

People do things for their reasons, not yours. If you want to influence other people and persuade them to your way of thinking, you have to offer something that they want, need, and are willing to sacrifice for.

All top managers are good at selling ideas. Always present your ideas in terms of benefits—that is, in terms of improvements in the life and work of the other person and in achieving results better, faster, and easier.

Learn to Speak on Your Feet

Third, learn how to stand up in front of an audience and give an effective presentation. The ability to “speak on your feet” is one of the most important skills you will develop as an executive, even if you start off absolutely terrified of public speaking.

You can join Toastmasters International and attend weekly meetings. You can take a Dale Carnegie course where, over fourteen weeks, you will learn to become both competent and confident on your feet. You can take a course or a seminar on professional speaking.

When you learn how to speak well and give good presentations at meetings, both within the company and outside the company, you will be astonished at how much this talent will help you in your career.

Present New Ideas Slowly

Whenever you introduce a new idea to others, you should expect resistance. Instead of rushing and insisting that people immediately do something different, you will be more persuasive if you go slowly.

Present your new idea by saying something like, “I have been thinking that there is a way that we can improve the way we are doing things. I've come up with some ways to save money or cut costs. What do you think of this idea?”

Whenever you present an idea tentatively—as though it had just occurred to you and, as such, you are interested in the opinions or ideas of others—you'll notice that people's resistance drops and their openness to being influenced by you increases.

The Seventy-Two-Hour Rule

Many years ago, I read a little book called Time Out for Mental Digestion. This book explained that it takes people about seventy-two hours to get their mind around a new idea. If you present a new idea and then demand an immediate response, people will almost always resist or say no. But if you present an idea and give people three days or more to think about it, they will often come back to you with even more ideas on how to make your initial idea successful.

The key to effective communications is for you to make a decision to become absolutely excellent at getting your message across in the three ways that we talked about: through written communication, individual (one-on-one) communication, and presentations in front of an audience. All communications skills are learnable. No matter where you are starting, you can become excellent at communicating effectively and influencing others to cooperate with you.