Expression

‘If you start a conversation with the assumption that you are right or that you must win, obviously it is difficult to talk.’
– Wendell Berry

Communication has been the main agenda item when working with teams recently. It’s an interesting subject. Something we all know about, participate in and may or may not think we are pretty good at. It is a complex matter. Or have we made it more complex than it has to be?

When I was a kid the only way you could communicate with another person was face to face, by telephone (no mobiles), or write a letter. No instant messaging, no Skype or Zoom. Sometimes you just had to wait to get an answer for something.

Communication has a number of purposes and for each purpose there is a motivation and result attached. There is a message we want to communicate and have it heard.

The reality is, things move so fast these days. We’ve got ‘communication’ coming at us from every angle that we can’t possibly take it all in. We pick up that which we think is important to us and move on. We don’t have the time. We need to do things quickly.

When I was a kid we took the time to listen. We took the time to read a letter and didn’t rush it. Maybe it was because you had waited so long to receive that answer from your relative or pen pal who lived so far away. You treasured it.

The quote above is relevant to how we communicate now. We want to get our message across, get what we want and move on to the next task or next message. When I set the ground rules in my workshops I add that the participants may want to be brave and put their phones away unless they are expecting an urgent phone call. It removes the distraction.

We all have the need to be able to express what we are thinking and feeling. This is where wonderful new ideas occur. Are you taking the time to communicate?