Recycled Bullsh-IT

Isn’t it really annoying when someone wilfully misunderstands what we are trying to tell them? We put all our effort into making it crystal clear, but the other person just doesn’t get it. And then they compound the issue by confusing us with their own gobbledygook. Why can’t everyone grasp the meaning of what is being said? [Hint: It’s not all their fault].

To help you comprehend, check my cunning and concise communication commandments:

 You What?

Let’s start by focusing on exactly what you are trying to communicate. It is depressingly common for people to start mouthing off before they have engaged their brain, leading to confusion in the audience regarding what it’s all about. How often have you listened to someone or read an email that wanders so much that it has achieved life membership in the Ramblers Association? If you aren’t clear in your own mind what you are wanting to communicate, then stop, compose yourself and your thoughts, and try again.

 You Who?

Another thing to think of up front is who your audience is, e.g., senior management, internal colleagues, customers, etc. You may have the same message for some or all of them, but each segment will be best served with a style and language that suits them, and the medium of communication to be used. Matey bantz with your co-workers is fine but may lead to antz in your pantz if you send the same meme to your management. Communication works best when the context is a shared set of values and beliefs, so that the meaning is unambiguous.

 You How?

The words and grammar also need to suit the message and audience, as we don’t all speak the same lingo all the time. This could be formal English, business jargon, legalese, techspeak, txtspk, gifs, or emojis. Best not to mix & match unless you are planning to perplex & piss off.

 You Where?

The medium you use is also key to the success of your message. The most effective way to tell it straight is to sit in front of someone and talk it through. Given this has become a rarity, both due to the pandemic, and the younger generations’ preference for asynchronous communication (Slack, texting, TikTok, etc), you need to re-calibrate the message to suit the form it needs to take.

 You Why?

Although this might seem contrary to the advice above, think long and hard about whether your communication is essential or not. Most of us are drowning in comms. It’s common for me to have 10,000 unread emails at any one time, as I don’t have to time to read them to find out if they are important enough for me to read. Other people burn out trying to read everything sent to them through FOMO. So, make sure anything you communicate is important and timely for everyone you send it to.  And whoever invented the CC: option for emails should be forced to personally go around and empty everyone’s mailboxes for eternity.

 So, just to be clear, my message here is if you need to tell me something, keep it short, sweet, and relevant. As Mark Twain remarked: “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”

John “Bon Mot” Moe