Man, and even his ancestor, the ape, has planetbesttech various methods to communicate with others. Perhaps in another post we will discuss how animals communicate and what we can learn from them. But in this post I want to talk about the various methods of business communication and help you see what’s working for you, or not, as the case may be.
Long before Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press, humans had methods of communicating with each other. Cave walls were used to leave messages for others – a form of billboards. The ancient Romans and Greeks used rams’ horns and other instruments to communicate the beginning of wars, holidays and more. Indians used smoke signals, and the list goes on. The point is that long before we had a method of printing that allowed us to share information with others through books and publications, we communicated. Today I often think we haven’t progressed all that far from the cave dwelling pictures or the rams’ horns. Okay, maybe we are a bit more sophisticated in the vehicles we use to communicate, but I’m not sure we are delivering our message any more successfully than our forefathers.
The drawings on the cave walls were open to interpretation by whoever viewed them. Likewise, much of what is said today is open for interpretation by the receiver of the message. Is your message clearly communicated and understood by others? Is your body language in sync with your words? Are you using sign language even though you aren’t deaf? Be honest, so few of us really know how to communicate well. We use a variety of business communication methods that include body language, facial expression, words (that others may or may not understand), and yes, probably even smoke signals, writing on the walls and sign language in the hopes we don’t have to actually speak to someone else. Somehow we hope-no, we assume-that if we say something, whether by words or body language or any other method, it will be understood by the other person and the appropriate actions will take place.
This post is a bit tongue in cheek, but not as much as you might ‘assume’. What business communication methods are you using and are they working for you? If you find the result is different then what you thought you communicated, maybe you should examine if smoke signals and sign language are your most effective methods. Just my two cents.
