Concise Communication Masterclass

Cloudy vs. Clear - why communication matters

I didn’t want to yell - I KNEW raising the volume of my voice would do nothing to increase the likelihood that the other person would better understand my point. I raised my voice anyway - if only to get out the frustration that was building in my body.

We’ve all been there, in that moment when we wish we could simply take what was in our brains and transfer it to another person - make them see what we see, understand what we understand - and for some reason, no matter how many words we use or how many ways we combine them, it’s just not landing.

However, communication frustration is more than just rising tempers and needing to be “right” or understood. When we are working on complex projects with infringing deadlines and limited resources, there are very real and impactful consequences for us when we fail to communicate effectively. It can be the difference between success and failure. It’s not an option to lack the skills for concise and clear communication

Simplifying the complex

How does something so simple:

• What is said

• What is understood

become so utterly complex that there are countless books, workshops and coaching around it? No matter how advanced you are in your career, there will always be the need for sharpening your communication skills.

One of the reasons why it’s a challenge is because there are many factors that make up communication: tone of voice, facial expressions, speed of speech, volume of voice, actual words being used, cultural context behind those words, mood of the speaker or listener.

And this is not even a comprehensive list.

Mis understanding even just one of these components of communication can cause us to miss the meaning entirely. The worse part of this - when we mis understand we typically THINK we have understood perfectly, and it’s not until action is taken and our misunderstanding shows up that we realize our error.

One of my devs was laughing with me about how early in his career his tech lead told him to “commit the changes” after he completed a feature. He thought he understood correctly and committed them directly to the main branch, bypassing the review process. It created quite a mess and he never made that mistake again.

Location independence. Exciting projects. Professional development

Boiling it down to the essentials

When we are dealing with so many factors and the stakes are high, it is important to think of ways to simplify.

This is especially important in the tech world. We are taking ideas and trying to turn them into a tangible product or application that impacts the real world. Things can get a bit cloudy if we aren’t careful.

One of my writing teachers used to ask me “what exactly are you trying to say?” after I went on a frustrated rant over my struggle with an essay. I THOUGHT I knew what I was trying to say - but every time they asked me this one simple question, It made me pause, think, and often times, I actually didn’t know - this was the root of why I was struggling so much to get it out - I didn’t actually know what it was I wanted to say.

The best communicators don’t use LOTS of flowery words and long drawn out speeches. They KNOW what they are trying to say - and say it clearly and quickly.

More words tends to cloudy our message rather than clarify it.

My father is a great speaker and has been public speaking for over 30 years. He would always tell me to:

• Tell people what you are going to say

• Say it

• Tell them what you just said

It sounds simple, but boiling down your message to the essentials turns it into a laser beam, cutting through the air and providing clarity and guidance.

Who are we talking to?

First step to improving communication is to understand the purpose this particular communication is serving.

There’s a difference between communicating with your team, where the priority is clarity on requirements and being precise about needs and specifications versus communicating with a client, which requires simplifying tech speak and the ability to persuade and present.

Knowing who the audience is and the purpose of your communication is one way to simplify and improve your communication.

Once we know the WHO, we can move on to the what, where, when and why - but we will tackle those in future installments.

For now, here are a few questions to ask yourself before you attempt to communicate.

1. What exactly are you trying to say?

2. Who are you speaking to?

3. How could I say this same thing in less words?

4. What is the most important thing I could communicate in just 2-3 minutes?

Remember, the frustration and toll that sloppy and imprecise communication creates is not something we can afford if we want to deliver high quality work in a collaborative work environment.

Recognizing the pain of poor communication motivates us to do better and simplify.

What are some of the most common communication struggles you run into?
We’ve got a lot more to explore over the next few weeks. Drop us a comment with your scenario and we will make sure to address it.