!@#$%^&*! HUH? WHAT DID YOU MEAN?

Guest post by: Harvey Schiller
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There Are No Silver Bullets - By Harvey Schiller

How hard can it be to say what you mean? It sounds easy but in fact is quite challenging. Why?

Well first of all, what does “mean” really “mean”? There are at least three meanings: 1. what you mean 2. what the listener thinks you mean and 3. the actual dictionary definition. Good successful communication is getting the alignment between # 1 and # 2 above. One way to achieve that alignment is to craft and think about the message from your listener’s perspective. It is up to the speaker to use the language that conveys the message and the meaning that is appropriate to the listener. The listener shouldn’t have to work so hard to be able to understand the message.

People however forget about 75% of what they hear before they leave the room in which the discussion takes place. So “telling” isn’t necessarily the most effective way of getting the message across and clearly “telling” isn’t “teaching”.

The more effective way to get the message across is to lead people to self-discovered conclusions and directions by asking questions. You can convey meaning more effectively and teach anybody anything by asking the right questions. After all, when you tell people something all they have to do is listen; when you ask questions, they need to think. Asking questions let’s you guide the thinking of others and the listener can use the words and jargon meaningful and understandable to them.

That doesn’t mean that every meeting is a series of questions. What it does mean is that in order to ensure alignment between what you mean and what the listener thinks you mean the speaker should use a mix of “telling” and “asking”.

The mixing of “telling” and “asking” takes more effort but when people figure out something for themselves, it tends to be a lasting and much more rewarding experience.

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There Are No Silver Bullets - By Harvey Schiller

About the Author: Harvey Schiller

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Harvey Schiller is founder and president of Corporate Kinetics, an advisory and management consulting firm that since 2002 has contributed to single owner/operated companies and multinationals in delivering extraordinary value, generating breakthrough performance and quantifiable improvement. As a speaker, Harvey has delivered many invited presentations and seminars to diverse audiences. As an academic, he has a Honors Bachelor of Science and a MBA. He has also instructed at the university and college levels. As a writer, his articles have appeared in national publications on topics such as lean manufacturing, organizational performance, improvement processes and change management. As a volunteer, he has served on the board of directors for professional and non-profit organizations.

Harvey Schiller
hschiller@corporatekinetics.ca
http://www.corporatekinetics.ca

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!@#$%^&*! HUH? WHAT DID YOU MEAN?

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