It’s All About Communication

Have you ever experienced difficulties in conveying a message to a friend, colleague, sister/brother, or even a neighbour? My assumption is that your answer is YES! That’s because we live in a world where we are forced to constantly communicate with one another. It could be as simple as arguing with your siblings, negotiating your salary or exchanging views on Ontario’s repeal of the sexual education curriculum. Regardless of the issue, we all have interacted with one another through some mode of communication.

This past week at EverGreen + Munk, I learned the importance of communication. As a second-year graduate student one would think that I would know the value and importance of communication by now — which I do — but it is something we often take for granted and so I was very pleased to receive a refresher from Jo, Gabe, Gillian and former City councillor, Mary Margret. When it comes to negotiation, it’s imperative that we understand the ‘position vs. interest’ dichotomy. First it is important to note that not everyone has the same interests when negotiating and therefore it is extremely important that we always understand the interests of the ‘opposing party’. Understanding their needs helps us better communicate and reach our desired goal. This is where ‘framing’ comes into play, as mentioned by my classmate @Ibrahim Sagheer “Framing is a simple, yet powerful concept…it’s not only about what’s being expressed, it’s also about how it’s being expressed”. A prime example can be seen with the City of Toronto’s laneway housing; the idea was initially refused by the City, however as Mary Margret explained, it was the way laneway housing was explained in the initial proposal that prevented the City from approving it the first time around. However, by understanding the City’s interests and concerns and re-framing the proposal with that in mind, Mary was successful the second-time around.

The last takeaway that resonated with me was the importance of preparation. @Faiza Mehoob said it best, “Negotiations can get messy no doubt. But one tool you always have in your back pocket is how you control your specific behaviour and responses to others.” Impacting policy from the “outside” isn’t always easy, especially when you are up against large, rigid institutions. However, the best thing that you can do is to be over prepared, expect the unexpected and deliver.

Ps, we also had the opportunity to visit some of Toronto’s laneway housing located in Leslieville! Check out the photos below.