Mean What You Say

A hilarious moment from last week’s Modern Family between smart and sassy Alex and clueless Luke has me thinking about communication:

Alex: Luke and I are doing a recycling drive. We collect enough bottles; they build a school in Africa.

Luke: Wouldn’t that be so cool to go to a school made out of bottles?

While Luke is admittedly naive, his literal interpretation does highlight everyday miscommunication. Let’s look at our recent history:

• In 2009, miscommunication allowed the Nigerian underwear bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, to board the Northwest Airlines flight bound for Detroit, Michigan.
• In 2006, miscommunication following the West Virginia coal mine disaster led to the false reporting of 12 surviving miners.
• In 2005, miscommunication during Hurricane Katrina severely impacted rescue and relief efforts.
• In 2004, miscommunication prior to Ronald Reagan’s memorial service led to the unnecessary evacuation of the Capital Building and a near-attack on Kentucky governor Ernie Fletcher’s plane.

Undoubtedly, miscommunication is the cause of many, if not most, business problems and hours of lost productivity. As most of us have more e-mail than live conversations with our colleagues and business partners these days, clear, concise written communication becomes even more crucial. What’s more important: to say what you mean or mean what you say? That sounds like a brain teaser, but effective communication really requires communicators to mean what they say. Let me illustrate my point with the following signs (shamelessly taken from the Internet):

Toilet out of order. Please use floor below.

For anyone who has children and doesn’t know it, there is a day care center on the first floor.

We exchange anything—bicycles, washing machines, etc. Why not bring your wife along and get a wonderful bargain?

The authors of these signs clearly say what they mean, but presumably they don’t mean what they say. So, how do you really mean what you say?

1. Read what you write. Miscommunication very often occurs from thoughtless communication. You can’t mean what you say unless you consciously know what you’re saying.
2. Explain your reasoning. Your recipient doesn’t always know what you know or assume what you assume. If you communicate a recommendation or decision, particularly one the recipient may not understand or support, explain how you reached your conclusion to avert a potential negative reaction from the recipient.
3. Think about context. Words have different meanings in different contexts. For example, “rhetoric” is defined as both “the art of speaking or writing effectively” and “insincere or grandiloquent language.” Make sure your context clarifies any possible misinterpretation, or use more direct language.

To strengthen your business writing, check out our online business writing courses: Writing Effective Business E-mails and Writing the Modern Memo. (Try our courses for free with promo code OHCBLOG.) You can also download ten tips for writing effective business e-mails.

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Julie H.
One Hour Courses
www.onehourcourses.com

P.S. Just for fun, here are more silly signs.

Tags: business writing training, communication training