It’s easy to take communication for granted because it’s something we do in every circumstance of our personal and professional lives. However, communication is hugely complex and so miscommunication and misunderstanding are commonplace problems that can completely torpedo a meeting.
Why is it so complicated?
The process of communication involves the transmission of messages between sender and receiver/s. The messages may be spoken, written, visual, or non-verbal, or a combination of some, or all, of these communication types.
Mehrabian Communication Theory says that when we do speak, only 7% of the message is conveyed by what we actually say, while 38% relies on how we say it, meaning our tone of voice, intonation, and volume. The remaining 55% is down to our body language, such as gestures, postures, and expressions.
Communication is influenced by context, such as the physical environment, the social setting, the cultural background, the emotional state, the balance of power, and the expectation of the communicators.
Communication is affected by noise, meaning anything that interferes with the sending or receiving of the message that results in impaired communication between senders and receivers. The common communication barriers are created by physical, physiological, psychological, semantic, and cultural noise.
Communication is subjective and interpretive, meaning different people may perceive and understand the same message differently. This can lead to miscommunication, misunderstanding, confusion, and sometimes conflict. It’s common for people to have different frames of reference, assumptions, beliefs, values, or experiences that influence how they communicate and interpret messages.
And, communication is dynamic and interactive, which means it is changing frequently and quickly on the relay of information being passed between sender and receiver. Feedback takes various forms, it can be verbal or non-verbal, direct or indirect, positive or negative.
How we communicate can be influenced by self-interest and self-image. We may communicate in ways that serve our own goals, needs, or preferences, or in ways that reflect how we see ourselves, or how we wish others to see us.
Think about these complexities in the context of how we meet today, which is predominantly using technology for remote of hybrid meetings. As the volume of back-to-back meetings increases, and the gaps between meetings all but disappear, mental fatigue and the absence of the cues, such as gestures, postures, and expressions, upon which we are so reliant, increases the opportunity for miscommunication and misinterpretation.