Have you ever been misunderstood? Surely, I am not the only one?
When you miscommunicate you have been misunderstood. Your impact has not matched your intent. This can be simple and easily fixed but can also have devastating consequences.
Miscommunication is simply when your message has not been interpreted as you intended. For example, you may say, “I would like the chicken please” and end up with the Tofu. This actually happened to me at an amazing Thai restaurant. I was eating my meal thinking “Wow this is the softest, squarest chicken I have ever had” when it was pointed out to me that I had Tofu. Luckily this was not a life threatening miscommunication! Also lucky for me as I may not have ever tried Tofu, and I really like it!
How many of you have ever miscommunicated??? (At this time you should all have a hand raised, because I would dare to say all of us do every day!) Now I trust I have not offended anyone because firstly if you hadn’t miscommunicated why are you reading this blog?? Oh yeah it’s for your friend…
Additionally, if you truly haven’t miscommunicated either you have never had contact with another human or you are in complete denial! Sorry but that’s the truth…
Misunderstanding stems from the simple fact that people are different. Were you aware for example that each of us are unique and see the world from a different perspective? Yes, there are trends and ways to group “types of people” and also different communication styles.
For example you may be a “talker” and the person you are trying to talk with is more “reserved and withdrawn”. As a “talker” it is common to assume that everyone else is as comfortable with talking as you are. You start to chat with the more quiet reserved person who doesn’t give you much back. A few common misunderstandings can begin to occur. Firstly, you may talk too much because you are not getting a response. This will inevitably shut down the quiet person even more. Or you may feel offended like the person does not like you. In your mind if they liked you they would talk.
The reality is that they are “different” to you, neither is right or wrong, just different. Each of us has different needs when it comes to communicating, and over coming editions we will go onto more details about the different styles.
Perhaps you tare wondering why your colleagues won’t approach you or work with you. You may have even been told to get help. For support and training to learn more about your style and how to get the most out of your relationships visit www.teamology.com.au
Until next time, Care, Connect and be a Courageous Communicator. Let’s change the world we live in one conversation at a time.
