What’s your best strategy to overcome miscommunication?
Cristina Imre
23 replies
Brief communication or the curse of knowledge (bias) can cause a lot of damage. I wonder what's your formula to avoid miscommunication.
Replies
Qudsia Ali@qudsia_ali
Launching soon!
I often assume that my audience may not be as intelligent or as well-versed in my language as I am, so I make an effort to explain things clearly and briefly so that there is no room for misunderstanding.
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@qudsia_ali Speaking multiple languages is always a strength because it makes you more conscious about this issue.
I try to make sure that we understand certain terms in the same way. Ask questions to help each other understand.
@cristinaimre Yesterday I had a conversation with a co-worker: we gave each other feedback on what went wrong and what we will try to do differently next time.
So: questions first and feedback if we have not understood each other :)
@cristinaimre :) and how about you? how do you deal with it?
@w_j
1) I'm a fan of "stupid questions" meaning very simple ones that clarify the meaning of what's communicated.
2) I also use overcommunication in remote settings, explaining crucial parts in simple terms, not assuming everyone understand things in one line.
3) In plus, I use the Brief Back technique to ask, "Could you please tell me what you understood from what I just said?" I cannot tell you how useful I find this technique.
@cristinaimre
1) And usually it turns out that stupid questions aren't stupid, yes?
2) ❤️
3) Brief Back technique - 😂 If everyone used it, it could change world history.
Cristina, thank you for this great list.
@seansong Thanks for sharing. I bet it's not easy to simplify words in documents/imaging without spending too much time on the task. On the other hand if you master this becomes gold. Maybe adding a comments section to the document where everyone should answer: "What did you get from this doc?" You would get an awesome library of interpretations that could lead to valuable feedback.
@cristinaimre awesome, "what did you get from this doc" -- brilliant idea. The whole "doc" stuff is also part of the Amazon culture, very successful.
For the concern about "not easy to simplify words in docs/imaging without too much time". I agree with you but the time worth the accurate communication. And everything got logged in paper (digitally of course) rather than in the air.
I tend to recap at the end, especially if there are deliverables. I try to not sound pedantic but I think reiteration does help.
For example (if I owe them something), "So I'll get -x- to you by -date-. Let me know if you need it sooner / need something different, etc."
Or (if they owe me something), "So you'll have that to me by -day- and I'll be able to turn it around by -day-. That'll help, thanks!'
@dow_osage Definitely. This is a great ritual to do. It's a bit similar to the Brief Bag where you ask: Now please tell me in your own words what did you understand from what I just said?
Try integrating new collaboration exercises into your workflow - sometimes gaining more exposure and getting in the groove of collaborating with your team is a great way to improve future communication!
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@paul_vanzandt Good luck with your launch!
@cristinaimre Thanks Cristina! We've been preparing for a while so hoping for the best!
@paul_vanzandt I bet, and I know how much work is involved in such a launch. Fingers crossed.
Checking that everyone are on the same page at the end of the meeting, regularly checking up on others if they really understood it correctly, and saying - don't bother asking when you have questions or you're unsure of something!
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