Communication: A Simple Process That Gets Complicated Unnecessarily
Posted on April 13, 2022 by Abdulla Mahmood, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.
The essentials of a communication process that are integral for a successful professional or personal equation.
The very essence of any organization lies in its communication of day-to-day operations involving all employees and customers to make the business successful. Without an effective communication, there will be gaps in the business process. Communication is not only important in professional life but plays a key role in personal life too.
Without going into the depth of communication process, I have decided to share my communication essentials in a very simple terminology that is effective in our regular day-to-day tasks.
Clarity: It is very important that one has to be clear in what one talks or writes so that the communicated message can be comprehended accordingly rather than using vague statements or incomplete sentences leading to unwanted misunderstandings.
Open-mindedness: People with pre-conceived notion based on their personal perceptions usually interpret a communication in a manner that suits their sensibilities, which eventually kills the actual crux of the communication.
Mutual Respect: It is a must to maintain mutual respect while communicating with the other person irrespective of a professional position, age, caste, nationality, background and physical appearance. Any form of disrespect shown can simply breakdown a communication right from the word go.
Misrepresentation: As part of the communication process, one must not misrepresent a colleague or the management as painting an incorrect picture will only tarnish the company or an individual image having a severe long term impact.
Uniformity: Consistency in the communication is a crucial factor as if there is no uniformity in the flow of a conversation, the reliability of the communicator diminishes.
No Use of Slang Language: Any usage of slang language in an official conversation is a strictly no-no as it simply ruins the image of the communicator and the organization. There are some junior executives who think it is ‘cool’ to use slang/cuss words but unfortunately it may just be the start of a non-receptive communication.
Importance of Details: It is important to pay attention to details in the complete communication process, the ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ along with ‘the slip between the cup and the lip’ can go a long mile in making or breaking a professional relationship.
Copying on Communication: There are a lot of instances when key stakeholders are not copied on important communication and by the time actual stakeholders are looped in the communication, the damage is done.
Action Plan: Part of a successful communication process is to put an action plan as to what needs to be done, by whom, by when and ensure all the stakeholders in the communication chain are aware of their deliverables.
Timeliness: The importance of time-bound response in any form of communication is a clear representation of thorough professionalism and untimely responses can simply stall or mark the end of a communication leading to heavy losses in some cases.
Integrity: Any dishonesty that becomes evident in a communication immediately impacts the future professional or personal relationship damaging an individual or organization’s complete integrity in the long run.
Organizational Ambassador: Every employee representing the company must think of himself or herself as brand ambassadors to ensure the customer have a positive brand experience and this is most effective in terms of the communication process that leaves a lasting impact on customers.
Never Communicate When Angry: The worst kind of communication takes place when one is angry as most of the times the words spoken or written are purely due to an emotional outburst devoid of any rationality. It is best to take a few moments to calm down and reflect on your thoughts before reigniting your communication. Most of the times anger-driven communication leads to DISASTROUS situations that may result the end of a professional career or an unrepairable marital discord!
