Be Clear in Your Communications
September 29, 2008 in Uncategorized
A friend sent me one of those Blonde Joke e-mails, and it made me think about how we communicate, and sometimes mis-communicate:
The blonde flight attendant came down the aisle with the beverage cart and she offered a can of soda to a passenger.
“Just a glass,” the passenger said, “with ice.” The flight attendant handed the passenger a glass filled with ice.
“Can I get some soda in the glass please?” the passenger requested. They both laughed at the misunderstanding.
When we, as human beings, communicate with one another, that communication can break down at any stage. It is important to be careful when we are crafting a message, especially an e-mail or marketing message.
How would you answer these questions about your last communication?
- Is the original message clear?
- Does the receiver hear it clearly?
- Does the receiver understand what he or she heard and interpret the message accurately?
- Does the receiver respond appropriately?
These phases of communication happen almost simultaneously. If there’s a breakdown at any one of these stages, there may be a mis-communication and misunderstanding. Depending on our business, a misunderstanding can be very costly!
We need to make sure that we accurately understand what our customer is telling us. We need to ask as many questions as we need to to fill in the blanks. That way, we won’t have a communication breakdown – and we’ll be able to address what the customer is really looking to accomplish, the proverbial soda with a glass of ice.
