One Simple Tip That Instantly Made Me A Better Communicator
“That would have been nice to know.” Have you ever heard that from someone? I heard that from my wife. It showed me I had some growing to do in my communication.
Your communication ability (whether poor or strong) is always directly tied to your effectiveness in your job. Poor communicators are less efficient and constantly the reason for mistakes and rework for everyone on the team. They are also really annoying and frustrating to work with…
If you want to take your leadership to the next level, you need to take your communication ability to the next level.
There are three primary forms of communication:
- Public — communicating to a group
- Organizational — communicating to a team
- Personal — communicating to an individual
Guess which one is most neglected?
Where is the “Organizational Communication for Dummies” book?
When I was starting my career, this is where I got help the least, but struggled most. If you have a job or are a part of any kind of team, you exercise organizational communication every day. It’s clearly very important. I stunk as a team communicator.
Until I began to ask myself this one, simple question…
“Who would appreciate knowing about this?”
It changed everything.
Now, the moment I do anything or get new information, I try to ask myself that question. My communication ability has absolutely transformed.
Notice, it’s not, “Who has to know about this.” Most people barely get that far and stop. They will only inform those that are directly affected.
It’s also not, “Who should know about this.” This includes both, those that are directly affected and those that are indirectly affected (likely needing to take an action of some kind). That would make you a good communicator, but still not great.
If you want to be great, the question has to be, “Who would appreciate knowing about this.” This not only includes those directly and indirectly affected, but it also includes many that are seemingly not affected at all.
It’s a very small change that makes a huge difference.
Yes, this means the circle is enlarging and you’ll be informing a greater number of people. Yes, that means it will take more time and effort. Yes, that means you’ll be communicating more than is “required” of you. Yes, you will find yourself copying more people on emails and sending out more group text messages. It’s work.
But there is no such thing as over-communication. Trust me, people will be very grateful and you’ll be viewed as a leader. It’s a courtesy that will make your team feel thought-about, involved, and valued.
Is there much more people want than that?
It may not be essential for them to know, but it sure is nice to stay in the loop and they will appreciate it.
Try it out. The next time you get new information or complete any task, ask yourself who would appreciate knowing about it.
It works. I’m not always perfect at it…but it definitely pays when I am.
Ben
