Got back last Monday from a trip to Mexico.
Not unlike other countries where English is a second language, Mexico has its share of faux pas when it comes to spelling.
As an example the room service menu offered a tempting ‘Natural Beagel’ to go with that delicious breakfast main course.
Now as much as I like dogs, I am not eating one.
And, just for the record that is not the proper spelling of the breed of dog, which is beagle.
All that said it got me thinking about what we say versus what we mean.
Anyone who has ever been in a married relationship understands that the ‘what I said vs what I meant’ phenomenon is potentially dangerous indeed.
What about business?
Isn’t it true that deals are won and lost every day based on the clarity, or lack thereof, of our communication?
What can you do to make sure your messages are clear and understood?
Consider the listener: Yesterday I had a conversation with the new pool man. He is a 20 something who has been a pool man for his entire career and I made the mistake of tossing out $10 words. As soon as he said “what does that mean” I knew I needed to change the language I was using.
Don’t get me wrong, he was not a dope; it was simply that I was using words that were not in HIS vocabulary.
If I wanted the conversation to be clear, and we were negotiating terms of service, I needed to adapt.
Take the listening ‘pulse’ of your audience, be it one or many, and adjust accordingly.
Stay on point: It is hard to get a clear message from someone who verbally wanders. Most folks lose focus on what the message was supposed to be.
I had an employee once who simply could not get to the point. He added more color to a story that a jumbo box of Crayola Crayons. Many of his subordinates found his messaging really difficult to interpret.
Try to stay on message without wandering too far afield.
Ask clarifying questions: During the course of conversation take the time to ask questions designed to ensure that your message is being understood as intended.
Use phrases like ‘does that make sense?’, ‘do you follow where I’m going?’, or ‘see what I mean?’.
Importantly, be sure to look for the message behind this answer.
Changes in eye contact, body language or voice inflection can all be clues that your message is starting to get clouded by the listener.
Whether on Mexican room service menus, the bedroom, or the boardroom, clarity of communication can seal the deal or leave the listener disinterested and confused.
It is not coincidence that some of the greatest communicators are also some of the most memorable.
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Great post. So many deals are misconstrued by lack of clarity. ” first seek to understand then be understood.” I’ll be sharing this with clients and competitors for sure!
@Kyle,
That goes along with ‘you were born with Two ears and One mouth – use them accordingly’.