We are a product of excellent communication. Yes! We, the human society, have distinguished ourselves from all the other species on this planet by the extraordinary means of communications developed one generation after another. How? Well, if the primitive man invented wheel and kept it to himself, would we be driving super-fast cars today? The power of the human species is not just in its intelligence and innovative spirit but also in its ability to communicate its learning to the entire community.
Traveling back to the modern day, one word that drives individuals, business and organizations is communication. When I say communication, it can refer to oral, written or even non-verbal communication. Out of this, the most commonly used and also the most commonly misinterpreted is oral communication. Given the right set of listeners, talking would be like breathing to most people - effortless. But talking effectively when something is at stake is an art that some are gifted with while others have to learn.
In a business environment, oral communications give a personal touch to every message. When a consultant pitches a business idea to a prospective client, the words she chooses can make or break the deal. How a company prospers also depends on the communication style in its work culture. The writer John Byrne in his article “How Jack Welch runs GE” underscores how the multi-billionaire founder of world’s most successful firms GE communicates with his huge employee base – honestly and informally. He goes on to say that one of the primary reason of GE’s success was the culture developed by Jack Welch, that of open communication and no formality – which means an employee can break the chain of command and speak his mind freely. In his annual meet, Welch unflinchingly responds to strong questions and stark comments from the company managers and gives sharp sometimes brutal replies. And this clarity in communication permeates to all levels of his organization.
Everyone needs to communicate well, but the managers are expected to do so much more than others. I once worked for a manager who when, we delivered our target, stood in the middle of our cubicle farm widened his arms and said with a smile “Absolutely great work guys!” At that moment the exhaustion seemed worth it. And if we met with a problem, the same manager looked into our eyes and said “Team, if we don’t fix this now, we are going to be in serious trouble!” That was it. One line in each case. We did not need an entire meeting to understand the potential risks and benefits of what we were doing. He was direct and encouraged us to be the same. And that saved a lot of time for our entire team. I have worked with managers who would love to say the same thing in a 1 hour meeting or send an email – but to hear, see and feel the human touch behind the plain fact made all the difference.
Most communication in day to day life are two way. But when information is broadcast to a large audience who would be affected by that information, it is termed as information dissemination. It is generally one way, but is significant in its own way. Government or corporations often make nation-wide or company-wide announcements in this fashion. What is the importance of this one way communication? When a nation is facing war or calamity, the sentiment of the nation can be determined by the President’s speech. His words can decide if the nation is fearful or hopeful, scared or reassured. Such is the power of words.
Persuasion is one of the crucial forms of communications. We are often required to convince another person or party in our point of view in order to sell our product or services, to come to a consensus or simply to get some work done. The key to persuasion is to understand the motivations of those you are persuading. If you address the needs of your audience, you will capture their attention and will open doors for mutually beneficial communication. That is why, good salesmen are said to be those who talk most about their customer and least about the product.
The skills acquired in communicating and persuading effectively, are put to their true test in conflict scenarios. Anyone can be smart and eloquent in friendly environment. But when there is a conflict in opinion or interest, not many people can handle it effectively. But why are conflicts of this kind so inevitable? Because the world is run by people. And people have emotions. And when their expectations are not met or their voice is not heard, their emotions flare and objectivity is thrown out of the window. One who remembers this simple fact will be able to act in a controlled and dignified way to resolve differences and analyze the situation logically and intellectually rather than emotionally. This objective view will most likely enable him to choose the best solution and possibly end the conflict.
One can be a genius engineer, an expert doctor, an intelligent programmer, a skillful architect, but one cannot be a true leader without mastering the art of communication.
No comments:
Post a Comment