Poor Communication Symptoms and Communication Strategies Everyone Needs to Know. Improve your People Skill, Soft Skills, Communication Skills.

Symptoms of Poor Personal Communication

Most of us think we’re excellent communicators. Unfortunately, our own understanding or response is not the best measure of effectiveness. Everything we say is clear to us—or we wouldn’t have said it that way. So when we look outward for clues of poor communication, these symptoms often surface:
 Feeling that everyone agrees with and supports what you say, feel, and do most of the time
 Lack of input, questions, or feedback on your ideas presented in meetings
 Few or no ideas contributed in your meetings
 Inability to influence others to accept your ideas or change their viewpoint or behavior
 Seeing little or no behavioral change in people you’ve coached for improved performance
 Confusion about what you’re supposed to be doing
 Lack of understanding the “why” behind assigned projects and goals
 Thinking that what you do or say doesn’t really “change things” in the long run
 Nervousness or hesitancy about presenting new ideas to your boss, client, or strategic partners
 Ongoing conflict with peers or family
 Frequent rework
 Constant reminders from you to others to take action, meet deadlines, or send information
 Frequent requests for more information about topics or issues that you think you’ve already addressed sufficiently
 Feeling of disconnection and discomfort in one-on-one and small-group interactions
 Lack of positive feedback about your presentations or documents (from those not obligated to give it)

Symptoms of Poor Communication in Your Organization
Again, ask executives if their organizations communicate well and chances are you’ll hear a resounding yes. But ask those a little lower in the ranks and you may hear otherwise. These symptoms crop up:
 Conflicting goals and objectives (Susan wants to cut costs; Sam wants to increase revenue.)
 Conflicting priorities (Su Lin wants her sales staff trained before they get in front of customers; Dupree wants his staff in front of customers as soon as possible, with or without all the obligatory training.)
 Conflicting schedules
 Left-hand, right-hand blindness (Division A doesn’t know what Division B is doing and often duplicates— or complicates—their work.)
 Turf wars
 Unclear values
 Low morale; people doing just enough to “get by”
 Lack of coordination of routine tasks; details “falling between the cracks”
 Rework
 Gossip, rumors
 “Us” against “them” attitudes and conversations
 Poor team “chemistry” (either open expressions of hostility or silent withdrawal and cynicism)
 Jargon and “double-speak” between departments

Your Golden Career Opportunity: Clear Up the Communication Clutter. Then, You’ll be able to:
 Identify what to communicate, when to communicate it, and how to say it so that it sticks.
 Create compelling conversations to influence others to act.
 Connect with people to increase trust and cooperation.
 Facilitate understanding in complex, controversial, and difficult situations.
 Encourage information sharing rather than information hoarding.
 Build morale, improve team chemistry, and make others feel part of the group.
 Increase your credibility and impact when speaking before a group.
 Make others’ work meaningful to them.
 Be able to coach others to improve their performance.


Top Reasons People Resist What You Say
People typically reject what they hear for one of the following reasons or perceptions:
 They think you’re lying or misleading them. They don’t trust you.
 They’re getting incomplete information.
 They don’t understand what you mean. Your message is unclear.
 You’re being purposefully evasive—with either good or wrong intentions.
 What you’re saying seems inconsistent with what you’re doing.
 They don’t consider you credible—either you don’t look or talk the part or they don’t like you.
 They think you don’t care about them personally. They don’t feel a connection with you.
 You’re slow to communicate. They’ve heard important information from somebody else—and they feel “done wrong” because you didn’t tell them first.
 They think you’re incompetent in your job because of weak communication skills.
 They’re working in isolation, with no opportunity for input or feedback.


What You Can Do about It - Developing Effective Communication Strategies


Perception or Reality Strategy
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Either you’re not being completely forthright with them—or they think you’re not. They don’t trust you. Tell the straight truth.
They're getting incomplete information. Give complete information—all you know.
They don't understand what you mean. Your message is unclear. Write and speak simply and clearly.
You're being purposefully evasive to save face—yours or theirs. Be direct. Avoid double-speak—for whatever reason.
What you're saying seems inconsistent with what you're doing. Make sure your actions, policies, and behavior match your words.
They don't consider you credible —either you don't look or talk the part or they don't like you. Strive to be personally credible—in your appearance, in your language, and with a pleasant personality.
They think you don't care about. Communicate your concern.
They don't feel a connection with you. Connect them personally. Connect with people individually and as a group.
You're slow to communicate. Be responsive. Communicate important messages—even bad news—quickly.
They've heard important information from somebody else—and the feel wronged because you didn't tell them first.
They think you're incompetent in your job because of weak communication skills. Write well. Speak well. Others will judge your competence in many areas by these most visible skills.
They're working in isolation, with no opportunity for input or feedback. Encourage open discussion and feedback in all directions—up the chain, down the chain, across functional areas, and with customers.






For more Information:
Communication Skills Improvement Center
Effective Personal Communication Skills, How To Win Any Argument, How to Read Anyone in 3 Seconds or Less, How to Ask Questions That Will Help You Succeed

Poor Communication Symptoms and Communication Strategies Everyone Needs to Know. Improve your People Skill, Soft Skills, Communication Skills.