comm

Communication is the cornerstone of business. Being able to deliver and receive information in an accurate and timely manner is simultaneously the most fundamental and critical business process. Communication is also essential to the development and effectiveness of all human social networks.

We are all aware that language evolves but it is easily overlooked that language mutates not just in the expressive but in the receptive mode as well. Most business communication courses focus on effective speaking and writing. We emphasize effective listening and understanding the context that both shapes and distorts what we hear. Being accountable for the perceptions that control what people (customers and employees) can and cannot hear is the finest art of management.

The very most satisfying part of our work is creating a space where communication is woven together like the finest silk threads forming the very fabric of an organization. In a “listening” organization, the threads of conversations and ideas can weave together so easily and seamlessly that only their absence is noticed.

It may seem strange for a person with a severe hearing impairment to be teaching listening skills. My deafness has been quite helpful however in reminding me to pay attention to more than just words. Because I know I will always miss words here and there, I must pay attention to tone, facial expressions and body language. Hearing is just what we do with our ears. Realizing that listening is something we do with our whole body while our own mind is quiet is an invaluable awareness for those committed to true leadership and service.

I have had the unfortunate opportunity of doing hundreds of exit interviews in my career. I have read several thousand more. As far as I can tell, one thing no one has ever complained about on their way out the door is too darn much acknowledgment. Because my work often consists of defining and then measuring intangibles, what we call “soft variables” in my line of work, I have to stop and think for a long time about words that we use off-handedly without stopping to consider how important they really are.

Acknowledgment is one of those words. It can mean the world but there is no picture of it. It takes many different shapes and forms but the real measure is what people are left with. The outcome of acknowledgment is a sense of fulfillment, recognition, and accomplishment but it takes much more than a simple “atta boy” to deliver that for most people.

When the principles of this course are applied in a workplace, the outcome can be literally startling in its immediacy and impact. It was originally designed to reduce employee turnover and it does that remarkably well. The benefit to productivity and morale is even more significant. Routine improvements of 50% in productivity and/or profitability are more or less a given. Doubling them is how we know the lesson took hold.