I Can See Clearly Now

I can see clearly now the rain is gone. All obstacles disappear..

Remember that song? It is a great metaphor for how we can clutter our communication so it no longer makes any sense. When we try to be everything to every one we tend to dilute the message down so much that it no longer makes any sense.

Okay, so how do you get your message to cascade down in your organization if you aren't addressing all of the different concerns and needs? Most leaders get so frustrated that they strip the message down to a point that makes sense to them. What they forget is that the party reading or listening to their message will filter the message through experiences and knowledge that they, the listener or reader, has in their own brain. Therefore you are almost always guaranteed that they will misinterpret a stripped down message.

So the point is not to put tons in the message but instead to understand the message as it will be received. You need to tune in to your audience first or else they will tune you out. Make sure you read or listen to your message from the other person's perspective to make sure it makes sense.

Anne Warfield, www.impressionmanagement.com