Communication Needs

Communication?

How would you distinguish between effective and efficient communication? How can the communication process result in higher productivity? How can leadership effectively communicate visions, goals/directives, and change?

Public Comments

1. Another 'meaning of life' question - how long is a piece of string? the success of a communication is measured by the reaction and actions you get back. How can it be done - well many people have different styles and it is about adapting that style to the recipients and the nature of the communication - what works in one situation - say a negotiation - will not work in another - fire men on a fire ground . have a look at tools like MBTI Situational Leadership http://www.rapidbi.com/creatrix http://www.rapidbi.com/created/changemanagement.html as these models can provide valuable language to use. the key thing in communication is clarity - and that when a word or phrase is used everyone understands what it means - easier than it sounds. This is why jargon is used - and sometimes the value of consulting models is mis-understood. Hope this is helpful
2. Effective communication increases productivity because it achieves its objective; it permits information to be exchanged in ways that ensure comprehension and commitment, reduce errors and save time. Efficient communication may be overly focused on just saving time. It is important to consider the objective of the communication and then choose the best supporting medium, format and timing, e.g. spoken or written, one-on-one or one-on-many, one-way or conversational, one-shot or multiple events, etc. What is communicated needs to be clear and understandable, relevant and appropriate. How it is communicated needs to be attention-getting, inspiring, heartfelt, and appealing. There is no single, best way and an experienced leader will have learned what works best for him/her in each of a variety of situations. It is so important that communication of visions, goals and changes is effective that it is worth investing time in this process. This can include considering, for all involved, what has been effective in the past, the needs that have to be satisfied, the feedback that is desired and is being provided, and the need for adjustments in the approach to ensure it achieves its objective. In this case, efficiency is not the objective!