Communication FUNdamentals

Apr. 1, 2008

Even when you think you are communicating well...

A recent communication survey showed that only 43% believed themselves to be "effective communicators" over all.  However, many times we think we do a fairly good job at getting our point across only to find that the other person didn't interpret our communication the way we had intended.  The first line in the following chart shows the frequency that the average person believes he has communicated well during everyday phone or email situations.  You can see that 78% of the time he believes he has communicated clearly both over email and on the phone.  What's interesting here is that the next line shows the frequency that the receiver of this communication believes he is correctly interpreting the email or phone conversation.  SOURCE: KRUGER AND EPLEY,'EGOCENTRISM OVER E-MAIL.'; SCOTT WALLACE - STAFF Though the sender believes he has communicated clearly 78% of the time, his receiver believes he has correctly interpreted this communication MUCH MORE OFTEN!  Over 10% more often, 89% of the time,  the receiver believes he has correctly interpreted the sender's email and a whopping 91% of the time he believes he has correctly interpreted the sender's phone communication!  The reality is that the receiver in a phone conversation correctly interprets the communication only 73% of the time.  More importantly the receiver of an email only interprets it correctly 56% of the time!   Though the receiver believes he has correctly interpreted your communication, it is likely that he hasn't understood it the way you intended. What's the danger in thinking you communicate effectively more often than you do?  (Much more for email!)  The receiver believes he has correctly interpreted your communication so he believes you meant it the way he has interpreted it!   Therefore, any interpreted offense is immediately taken! If your receiver is confused about something you said on the phone, he can instantly ask you a question for clarification and you can move on with your communication.  If the sender hears offense in the receiver's voice as the conversation continues, he can address any misunderstandings he senses along the way. Misunderstandings arise less often because your sender can hear your voice and gain further understanding through your tone and other vocal cues.  However, many times an email receiver will not ask for clarification!   In an email, this does not happen in real time.  Your receiver is confused for the entire email.  It colors how he sees EVERYTHING you typed.  And now he has to reply and wait for your clarification.  Unfortunately, in his reply, he has the same statistics for his communication to be misunderstood.  And so the communication has a greater potential to break down getting more confusing with each reply.  If you are conscious that your communication may not be interpreted correctly, you will take more care to choose your words wisely in the first place.  Taking some more time for simple things like proofreading, making paragraphs and looking over your word choices can make an enormous difference in how your communication will be interpreted. On the other hand, if you are blissfully unaware that your email has the likelihood of being misinterpreted 44% of the time, you are more likely to have misunderstandings and hurt feelings.  For more Communication tips delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our new weekly eNewsletter: Communication Tip of the Week! From JoJo's Purple Crayon...

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