🌀Au Contraire: What you say is not what they hear.

That is what you said. But what you said is rarely what other people hear.

You can write them off as not being good listeners, but that doesn’t fix anything.

During a hard conversation with a coworker this week, I realized how different what I said was being interpreted. I could have been dogmatic and argued that what he heard was not what I said, but I realized that would not accomplish anything.

People interpret what you say through their past experiences with you, how you say it, your tone, and your mannerisms. It is a lot of bullshit to sift through. We are complicated animals.

The best way to communicate is from your heart. This sounds cheesy, but if you truly want to be heard this is the best place to start. If you have a bias, it is best to expose your bias. Bring it out in the open so your point of view can be understood.

A really effective way to avoid confrontation to your point of view is to first start with all of the problems with your stance. This sets other peoples guards down. And when people aren’t guarded a real discussion can begin.

If you can present your motive as truth seeking this is an excellent diffuser. Everybody has bias. Everybody sees things through their own bias. But if you can create a common ground of truth seeking then you will be able to cut through a lot of the bias.

This may sounds trivial, but I assure it is not. Clear communication between employees and coworkers is essential. “Being on the same page meetings” are a thing because if you ain’t on the same page everything is fucked.

Imagine a rowing team with 6 rowers in one of those speedy canoes. If 5 people are rowing, and one person has their oar dragging in the water, the entire effort is slowed. It is frustrating. You can’t reach your destination as fast. Everybody gets pissed.

To truly grow your company you have to be crystal clear with your communication. If your communication is murky there will be dissension, confusion, and resentment.

This affects every facet of your business whether it is with field workers, customer service representatives, partners, and even customers. If there isn’t crystal clear expectations there will be problems.

If your compensation plans aren’t clearly laid out, there will be misunderstanding, resentment, and high turn over.

If your vision for where you are going isn’t clearly defined, nobody knows where you are going and worse you don’t either. You have probably read about defining your company vision, but having a vision without clearly defined destination points is just a dream.

The more clear you can become the faster you can make decisions. The more clear your vision, the faster others can make decisions for you. Having a communication method to jump the bumps is one of the hidden keys to growth.

~Blue