Have you ever been part of a water cooler conversation after the meeting? That is where assumptions about the “real meaning” of the message are shared by colleagues. If five people are discussing, there are five different interpretations. The less clarity from the meeting or announcement, the more varied the interpretations. These varied stories are made up of some facts gathered from the meeting or announcement and many assumptions used to fill the gaps.
Assumptions are fed by our beliefs and bias which are held in the reactive part of the brain (the amygdala). This means that assumptions are fast and easy to create so filling a gap with an assumption when receiving new information is much easier than holding space and waiting for more information. Assumptions are sticky too. Since beliefs and biases are deep rooted in our brains to protect us, it takes clear, logical information and effort on the part of the receiver to displace their assumptions with the intended message. A further impact is that assumptions are often more negative than positive due to the negativity bias which stems from our reactive brain focusing more on danger avoidance than pursuing opportunity.
The impact for leaders is that communication is a significant challenge, and subtle changes to the order, speed, or method of delivery of a message can have major consequences leading to:
- Misalignment
- Eroding trust
- More mistakes
- Poor use of resources
- Wasted time – more talk about issues and assumptions than getting it done
- Poor execution
- Lower productivity
To overcome communication challenges, leaders need to consider both short and long-term approaches. From a long-term perspective, develop a culture and systems that:
- Build trust to help people to assume positive intent
- Build psychological safety to allow people to speak up to gain clarity
- Inform the Why so people have perspective and general guidance
- Provide feedback loops to support two-way communication
From a short-term perspective, don’t be surprised and don’t judge when people interpret your message differently than you intended. Instead, get curious and find common language to work towards common understanding.
Remember, the CEO and all leaders are also the CRO (Chief Reminding Officer).
“The SINGLE biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw
