Frankly, I don’t know anybody or any profession that doesn’t have occasional communication challenges. A big part of the challenge is simple. Most people think they are communicating clearly when it’s simply not happening.
And it’s not happening for one reason. The communication is incomplete. To help you understand the basics of communication, take a look at the model below. The crucial point to consider is “feedback.” Effective communication has not occurred, unless the sender gets feedback that the receiver decoded the message in the way the sender intended it.
In other words, if I’m communicating, I need to know if you heard what I said. If you heard something different, I could repeat it and/or modify my communication to alter your perception of what I’m trying to communicate. Then, I’ll ask for feedback again.
In a conversation, it’s easy to close the communications model by asking, in some form, for the receiver to repeat what you just said. Then, you can hear directly from the person what was heard. It’s much more difficult to close the loop when you can’t instantly verify if your words have the desired effect. That’s where research comes in.
Research has a built-in feedback mechanism. Whether it’s an online survey, telephone survey, focus groups, etc., research will help you close the communications loop and improve your communications efforts.
Ready to learn how your communications are being perceived? Contact Rick Nobles at 913-484-0920 or rick@excellencek12.com.
