Lack of proper communication is one of the most prevasive ills of the present times. Here is an effort to understand the issue so that measures could be thought of to salvage everyday opportunities in our lives, both at personal or corporate levels
An effective sales process is a conversation, a two-way exercise in applied communication. Done poorly, it can result in lost sales and missed opportunity for ongoing business relationships.
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In today’s age of computers and technology, the main casualty of our advancement seems to be communication. Lack of it is evident though nobody has the time to think over how is proving to be costly to humans as well as organisations. It is a pity that most of us are not sure about what communication really means. That is precisely the reason why people fail to pinpoint the problem, even though they identify communication as one of the main issues they face - they just have a vague feeling communication isn’t happening.
Communication can be compared to blood: If blood doesn’t circulate at just the right pressure and speed to all parts and extremities of the human body, that body sickens and eventually dies. So, too, does an organization where communication doesn’t flow freely. Lack of proper communication could suffocate individuals and companies alike.
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Organisational communication like vision and
mission statements; news releases, financial
results or new product announcements are
important, but they form just a fraction of the
communication - and miscommunication - that
takes place every day in a workplace.
What we call applied communication is written,
spoken and non-verbal interaction among people
in order to get things done. It takes co-operation
to create a product. It takes collaboration to
approach a new market. It takes teamwork to
implement a strategy. It takes applied
communication to oil and run the machinery of
business, personal or official. And if that
machinery breaks down - as it often does - a great
deal of time and money are lost.
We hear quite often people complaining of
meetings: too many, too long, too boring. It would
not be wrong to add to that: too expensive as
well.
Calculate the hourly cost of total participant
time and multiply by the length of the meeting.
Remember, the more the number of participants
the more is expensive the time. And if you
consider how many of such meetings take place
in an organization every day, every week, every
year, the end could add up to a colossal amount.
When one looks at letters, reports, memos,
and now the ubiquitous e-mail, employees spend
altogether too much time writing it, and badly at
that, so that those on the receiving end spend
too much time reading it! If two hours a day is
what a conservative figure that many spend on
reading communication, what about those at
much higher salary levels who spend much longer
writing every day ?
An effective sales process is, in short, a
conversation, a two-way exercise in applied
communication. Done poorly, it can result in lost
sales and missed opportunity for ongoing
business relationships. When we consider the
total lifetime value of a customer relationship, we
can truly appreciate the real dollar cost of poor
communication.
Whatever people tell their bosses about their
reasons for leaving the company, invariably one
of the most common reasons cited is that they
don’t feel anyone listened to them.
And when people leave, employee
replacement represents yet another huge cost that
can at least sometimes be charged to poor
communication.
In a workplace, millions of people talk day
after day with one another in person and on the
phone, it is a truism to say that they never truly
communicate with one another.
It is proved time and again is that recognition
and respect are more motivating than money. One
of the best ways to show people that they are
valued is to listen to them.
