No wonder communication’s so hard!

10th November 2020

On a recent webinar, I said: “I’ll say a word. Please type in the Chat box the first word you think of when you hear it.”

I said MARRIAGE.

They typed:

  • Wedding
  • Divorce
  • Church
  • Cake
  • Arranged
  • Expensive

…and if people can see just one word so differently, is it any wonder we find it so hard to communicate with them!?

This difference in perception between speaker and audience is often called INTENTION and IMPACT.

When you speak, you have a certain INTENTION. But it may have a different IMPACT on the people you’re speaking to. Example:

   Salesperson: We were founded in 1922 (INTENTION: “we’re safe and good”)

   Customer: Oh (IMPACT: “you’re old and bad”)

And how to ensure you had the IMPACT you INTENDED?

Feedback.

So when speaking, check the IMPACT on them – “please can I check I explained this ok? What do you think my main points are?”

When listening, check their INTENTION – “What I’m hearing is X. Is that right?”

When INTENTION and IMPACT aren’t the same, nobody wins. But when they’re the same, everyone does.

My INTENTION is that this Tip helps you align better with others.

I wonder what the IMPACT will be?

Action Point

Check understanding more than you do now. The more successfully you do this, the more successful you’ll be.

Also, click here.

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