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Business Communication Mistakes And how to avoid them. by Roy Sheppard If you dont get the results you want from your staff - its probably your fault - not theirs. A lack of communication skills leads to confusion for many staff says corporate communications consultant Roy Sheppard. In the first in a series of reports on how to be a more effective communicator in business we look at some of the most common mistakes and offer ways to avoid them. Your staff are not stupid- nor are you. But what happens? You tell someone a task needs completing - they get it wrong. Personal communication skills always impact directly on the effectiveness of corporate communication. They are inextricably linked. Backfoot behaviour costs money, creates frustration and slows down a business productivity and full potential. An international client of mine held a conference in Madrid for their most senior managers. It became apparent that no one felt they knew what was going on within the business; if they wanted information they felt the need to ask a junior. They were not happy. Despite the existence of a sophisticated electronic mail system, it was not used by senior executives. As part of my role as conference facilitator, I suggested a solution to implement a weekly bulletin from the managing director. His initial response illustrated what I believe is the most common communications mistake in business. MISTAKE 1 - Turning communication into a "Big Deal". The MD felt that with so many delicate developments in the business, it would be premature to announce anything until deals were signed. But by not communicating information he was communicating the message to his managers that they were not important enough to know about present and future developments. Worse still, his belief that confidentiality could be jeopardised sent another message - "I dont trust you!" The most crucial aspect when considering any communication is - the message sent is not always the message received. People who are uncomfortable about communicating openly and regularly with staff and customers often give the excuse for not distributing information because they are afraid; afraid of being held responsible for an embarrassing leak. Time and again I have seen examples of how sharing confidential information within all levels of an organisation - even with some customers and suppliers has dramatically improved staff motivation and business relationships. It has the effect of making them feel valued and respected. MISTAKE 2 - Using communication programmes as a vehicle for company propaganda. When a company actively embarks on a communications programme for the first time it is often seen by directors as a one way vehicle for company propaganda. This is a wasted business opportunity. Staff are invariably far more intelligent and probably care more about the business than they are ever given credit for. Propaganda is easy to spot. Theres never any bad news! The confidence to distribute bad news or delicate issues invariably transforms the effectiveness of internal communication. Staff tend to gauge company messages by comparing their understanding of an issue against the company line. If everyone is talking about something but not theres nothing about it in the newsletter or video - or its included but overly sanitised - credibility for everything else will hover around zero on the believability scale! Surprisingly, plain old honesty can be really great for business morale. The only downside to honesty is how it often leads to honest feedback. May be thats why there are still so few companies without an effective mechanism for honest feedback which will be sincerely welcomed and acted upon. Instead we have businesses where directors believe and behave as if they have a monopoly on all thought, wisdom and knowledge. If this is you, your staff could shock you with how much they care, if only they were given a chance to show it. MISTAKE 3 Communication seen only as a cost. Recently I attended a meeting in the boardroom of a large company with a household name. The assembled directors talked only about the costs of their forthcoming communications project. These had already been decided and agreed beforehand. Not once did anyone discuss the result they were seeking. Communication obviously has a financial cost, but effective communication will always produce a high return on the investment; improvements to staff motivation, productivity, efficiency and increased business. MISTAKE 4 Providing only partial information to staff. It is so tempting to be selective about the information you give staff, customers or suppliers. A need to know approach from the top of an organisation will inevitably cause pain, frustration and confusion for everyone in the longer term. This is well illustrated by the following example. I was due to interview a sales director at a meeting of his 70 sales staff. In the lead up to the event he refused point blank to discuss anything negative "It would be bad for staff motivation and bad for business." he said emphatically. He was adamant that the subject of the company car policy was absolutely forbidden even though it would certainly be at the forefront of peoples minds at the meeting. It had been a recurring and painful issue for him for the past 6 months or so. After sustained and gentle persuasion he explained privately what had happened. He confided that hed even told his wife about it. Her response was superb - even though he didnt think so. Finally, I persuaded him to talk about it in front of the staff. With his full backing beforehand I made the following opening remark "Youve got a lousy car policy, havent you?. This elicited cheers and a spontaneous round of applause from the audience. He then said (as agreed) when hed told his wife what had happened she replied "And what idiot came up with that idea?" Howls of laughter from the audience. He went on to explain that all reps. cars had to be exchanged for diesels because his board had forced him to make a saving of £80,000 - he had two choices - going diesel or making three staff redundant. He added that he too had handed in his Saab Turbo for a diesel. The problem was solved in less than 5 minutes. He learned that his staff did need to know why he had made his decision. Morale instantly improved and for the rest of the meeting, delegates were far more open to the other demands which their highly competitive marketplace was thrusting upon them. Trained therapists are taught that all behaviour has a positive intention, but sometimes there are negative consequences. The sales directors intentions were positive, honourable and professional (he didnt want to fire 3 staff) but by assuming that people need only have partial information it resulted in the problems he and the staff encountered. MISTAKE 5 Failing to realise that communication is the response you get. When you make an announcement which receives a response you do not want or expect - your communication has obviously been ineffective. But so few people devote much time thinking about the response they want to evoke in the first place - too much effort is put into the composition or delivery of the message. MISTAKE 6 Believing that everyone thinks or processes information the same way as you. "If I tell you something and you do not understand it - whos fault is it?" Without a doubt, it is my fault. Why? Because you are not stupid - or probably not! But it is surprising how this view changes when someone is impatiently trying to explain something complex to a slow subordinate. In simple terms, people are either auditory, visual or kinesthetically minded. An auditory person will interpret a situation based on what they hear while a kinesthetic individual will process the same situation based on their gut feeling or their instinct. Anyone who is visual, trying to communicate with someone who is auditory will literally be on a different wavelength. The person who can switch at will to match the preferred method of understanding of the people they are communicating with, can raise his/her communication skill and rapport to a much higher level. MISTAKE 7 Just because someone speaks your language, do not assume they fully understand what you say. This is particularly true when communicating with foreigners who speak fluent English. They may appear to understand but it is worth realising that when they speak, they can choose the words they use. But when they listen, they are limited to the words they hear. MISTAKE 8 Always trying to be interesting. The best and most effective communication is based on improved listening skills. Really listen instead of using the time to work out what you plan to say next. An effective communicator concentrates more on being interested, rather than being interesting. Isnt it strange that everyone is taught from the earliest age how to talk but I have yet to meet anyone who attended classes at school which shared the secrets of how to listen?
Roy Sheppard has produced a step-by-step audio course on how to build a profitable network of contacts through networking and referrals. Called Roy Sheppard's Network to Win it can be ordered safely and securely on-line. This is what people say about the material. "Not only was Roy’s networking presentation excellent, it made a significant impact on the whole way we approached our business contacts. We used the systematic approach during Spring this year that has already brought us new strategic partnerships, inspired new products and improved our business prospects." Tina Mason, CEO, Business Excellence Training "...an excellent evening…participants gave the event a very high rating both for enjoyment and education. I was delighted that the session struck exactly the right balance with what was a difficult audience having a wide range of experience and combining both internal and external attendees." Marc Gillespie, Partner, Arthur Andersen , England"After 19 years in the conference business this talk is the only one I have seen which provides tangible results by the end of the conference. By getting people talking, you can see business coming out of the event." Geoff Leon, Presentations Director, AVE Presentations , Which of these would you like the most?
If your work involves building relationships with people - you need this. The ideas packed into this programme will turbo- charge your professional and social success.
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