It is not the words, it is the understanding

I have posted on communication quite a bit this week but it is so critical to business. I encourage companies that I work with to think about how people understand the words that you say. For instance, if you were to shout "Fire!", people would not question you...they understand that the word means danger, they understand that their next action is to get out of there. It is the understanding that creates action not the word itself. If you stood there and shouted "State of Combustion occurring!" Maybe some people would understand because of their specific knowledge, but the majority would stand there and look totally confused. You are saying the same thing....the difference is that people understand one and not the other.

That is why communication in business is not about telling, it is about understanding. As a manager it is not sufficient to have read something out, or written an e-mail. You need to ensure that people have understand the context, why it is important and their role in the action needed. This is even more critical when it comes to strategy...