Four communication mistakes to avoid

Check out the below samples of ‘silly’ mistakes in communication; Have fun reading them, but think about their serious consequences.

I once heard a speaker who was all well dressed up and was introduced pompously and elevated to the skies. Naturally, the expectations of the audience had gone up. They eagerly looked forward to listen to an inspirational speech.

Speaker adjusted his throat and tie; had a glass of water and started with a bold voice. He went on for four straight minutes nonstop. He was very fluent and confident in what he was speaking. However, he did notice that the most attentive audience began to look at each

other; in a matter of minutes, the speaker could see some change on their faces. They looked confused. He wondered what was going on.

Sensing that the matter was going beyond control, the organiser gathered some courage and interrupted the speaker. The eloquent speaker was more than happy to be interrupted, as he was also perplexed with the confusion. The organiser whispered something in his ears, which brought a painful smile on the speaker’s face. With a pale expression on his face, the speaker said, “Friends, I am sorry for mistaking this to be a conference on biotechnology; I now understand that I am supposed to be speaking about leadership development”.

You can imagine how the rest of his talk would have progressed.

Once I came across a person who spoke to me for close to half-an-hour emphasising the importance of brevity in communication.

He first started from his college days how they got bored of a lecturer who used to be very repetitive. He narrated how one of his earlier bosses used to prolong the meetings and never finish on time because he lacked conciseness. He also explained how audience would get distracted if you are not brief and to the point.

As he was speaking to me endlessly on the importance of brevity, he did not realise that I was getting distracted and tired of the lack of brevity in his conversation.

“Sir, as you suggested, I approached that person and asked for the information on those things that you asked for. He asked me to get a letter saying so and so needs this information because he is working on so and so project. If we do not provide this thing, he won’t be able to give us that thing. That person will be on leave and therefore he asked me to come ASAP with relevant signatures. If I cannot get back to that person, then I will have to approach another person. What should I do, sir?” His boss who was going through another important e-mail, gently looked up and appeared completely blank.

During a conference, one person walked up to me and asked an interesting question – “How important do you think listening is in communication?”

I was about to respond and he quickly added. “I personally feel it is important; if you do not listen, then that shows your disrespect”

I was about to express my views on this statement when he interrupted again and continued. “But I often come across people who do not care to listen to others. What has been your experience?”

I began to reply and stopped because he went ahead. “Sorry to say this, even the most senior people fail to listen. What do you say?”

I did not want to say anything, because he would say anyways.

Develop self-awareness; observe if any of the above silly mistakes slip in your communication; they may look silly, but when sustained and repeated over a period of time, these mistakes do turn serious.