Learn from My Mistakes: You Must Work Exceptionally Hard to Deliver Clarity in Your Communication

Before starting my business coaching practice, I was a senior retail operations executive for large companies.  I traveled weekly to visit our stores, meet with our store leaders, and talk with them.  In every store, I spent 30 minutes or more enthusiastically explaining our company goals & objectives and how the store team could and should contribute by executing plans at their store.  Frequently, I would say to myself, “Dave, you did a good job being clear and urgent” through my little speech.  Then, to test the management team’s understanding, I would ask… Tell me what you thought was the most important idea I shared.” I was shocked that they rarely mentioned my #1 challenge.  This taught me that communication is the response I received, not what I had said so brilliantly.  My store teams were motivated and talented people.  So what went wrong?  I suspect they were on a different channel, and I didn’t consider their state of mind, priorities, or filter system.  This experience also taught me that it was critical to reinforce key issues repetitively and in their language.  I still believe I could only be marginally successful in communicating until I was sick of repeating my message.

I watched a very interesting video of a communication expert named Joanne Kennedy.  She talked about The Rule of 3, 5, 7, 9.

Here’s her conclusion:

3: People can only remember three key takeaways

5: This is the number of repetitions needed to transition from short-term to long-term memory.

7: This is the number of repetitions needed to see or hear something and remember it.

9: This is the minimum number of times before a listener can internalize the thought and is capable of repeating it.

Lessons are repeated until they’re understood.  For example, you can tell a first-time business owner not to rework the marketing campaign every 30 days, but until they do it and find reduced customer engagement, they may not learn.  Essentially, sometimes you have to learn lessons the hard way.  Clarity in communication, reflective listening, and the ability to look internally to do better externally is crucial.

Read on to learn why effective business communication matters in daily interactions.

Clearness in Communication

Start with business assessment tools to identify gaps and strengths.  This may provide insight into how you think and work through problems.

Good communication bridges confusion and clarity, so become clear about your capabilities.

Clarity of communication starts with active listening and ends with thoughtful responses.  So, beyond the choice of words and explanations, listen to the tone and context, and determine why it’s shared.

Active Listening Skills

Leadership is about more than speaking; it’s also about active listening.  Here are a few steps to follow, and why they matter.

1. Undivided attention – Don’t let your phone, thoughts, or other distractions come between you and the person you’re listening to.
2. Body language – Eye contact, body direction, and gestures contribute to effective speaking and listening.
3. Withhold judgment – Maintain an open mind and listen without bias — you might glean incredible information.
4. Seek clarity – Ask questions if something sounds awry or you cannot remember the finer points.
5. Restate what you hear – Repeating what you hear lets the speaker know what is stuck and what is missing.
6. Reshare – Share your insights as the conversation unfolds, but only after you fully understand what is shared.

Active listening is an essential leadership skill that requires being open-minded while listening and absorbing.

Reflective listening is even more powerful in building trust.  Doing this requires two steps.  First, seek to understand a speaker’s idea, then repeat the idea back to the speaker to show you’ve understood.  From there, you can build onto the conversation with mutual respect.  They feel heard and understood, and you are engaged in the discussion.  Active listening skills are more accessible to practice than reflective listening, but reflective builds on active. 

Words and Actions in Leadership

Words and actions must align—and so must the physical activities you use while communicating.  More than 70% of communication is non-verbal.  Yet, true leaders can command a room with their presence and capture the audience’s minds with their oratory skills.

When you build mutual understanding, you’re more likely to communicate effectively and make progress.  Conversely, misunderstandings often lead to delays, disgruntled teams, and a hostile workplace.

When you have clarity of communication, you are one step closer to resolving any problems that come through the doors.  Everyone is on the same page and can move together as one unit rather than multiple factions.

Are you frustrated that your team doesn’t communicate effectively?  Click here, and let’s meet on a video call to improve your communication.

Coach Dave