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Communication and Feedback
By Michael | January 21, 2010
“Communication–the human connection–is the key to personal and career success.” - Paul J. Meyer
In our 2010 Checklist For Success we identified what we felt were critical components for leaders and organizations to succeed. We’ve talked about the need for relationships and trust and now want to begin a discussion on communication and feedback.
(More will be shared in future tips).
Do you have a clear understanding of how your leader and customers wish to be communicated with? Does your staff or your peers have a clear understanding of how YOU want to be communicated with? Does everyone know what is expected of them in terms of what should be communicated when? Is there a high level of comfort for giving and receiving feedback?
Chances are the answer is “no” to at least one of the questions.
Picking the right channel of communication is a key skill for all leaders. To do this well you have to understand the richness of the channel and the type of message best suited for that channel.
Channels of Communication (in order of richness)
Face to face.
Why is this the richest? Think about tone of voice, posture, gestures, eye contact, and body position.
Telephone.
What items do you retain here?
Computer/email/instant messaging.
All you have is the ability to share text although some people try to use smiling faces, phrases in parentheses, italics, or bold type to denote their emotional perspective.
Memos/letters.
This is pretty much one size fits all – everyone on distribution gets the same message.
Bulletins/flyers/general reports.
This is meant for the widest possible audience. You have no idea who might read it.
All channels of communication serve a purpose dependent on what’s being communicated.
Given that, the first thing we suggest is to know the audience and the message of the communiqué. Before it’s delivered identify the reason, the main points and anticipate questions and responses.
Some key questions you can prepare for include knowing:
What is going to happen?
Why is it going to happen?
How is it going to happen?
When is it going to happen?
Who is it going to impact and how?
How will concerns be addressed?
Preparing in advance and anticipating questions (and maybe even resistance) will allow you to deliver your message with clarity and confidence.
Do you have a communication model in place?
We’re here to help!
Sincerely,
Michael W. Kublin and Jan Mayer-Rodriguez
“What is the shortest word in the English language that contains the letters: abcdef? Answer: feedback. Don’t forget that feedback is one of the essential elements of good communication.”
- Source Unknown
“The two words INFORMATION and COMMUNICATION are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through.” - Sydney J. Harris
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- Sarah E. Needleman, WALL Street Journal Aug 25, 2009
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