The Garrison Report #2010-3

Effective Communication

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Industry, not just the construction industry, has a serious communications problem because too few people truly understand the meaning of effective communication. Never mind effective; it appears too many people don't understand what communication is. There is no communication until the recipient hears and understands the message because up until that point, it's just noise.

The problem is that when most people don't think their message is getting through, they increase the amount of noise. In contrast, Stephen R. Covey, in his best-selling book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, listed the fifth habit as "seek first to understand, then to be understood."  What's important to understand is that when someone wants to communicate, the person can't ignore the fact that other people may have a different perception and perspective of the situation.

Most people would probably agree that for someone to understand a problem, he must have enough information, knowledge and expertise in the related area to comprehend it. In other words, it's important that the speaker knows if the recipient's range of perception is capable of dealing with the issues. So when management talks down to employees, should anyone be surprised when employees often don't hear the message? The same can be said when attempting to communicate with clients. While clients are usually successful in their own area of expertise, they don't necessarily have the knowledge or expertise to hear and understand the contractors' or designers' messages.

Compounding the problem is the fact that people tend to hear what they expect or want to hear. This is demonstrated all the time when someone gives a speech on television. People on opposite sides of the issue being discussed often hear totally different comments and respond differently to the message. This indicates that at least one segment of the audience is not hearing or understanding the message.

The key to breaking through this barrier is demonstrating to the recipient that "this is something different." However, this takes trust and respect. This probably explains why politicians have trouble bridging this gap. Unfortunately, contractors aren't much better because there are many clients who don't trust the construction industry or its representatives.

To overcome this barrier, the industry is going to have reestablish its credibility not by talking about it, but by its actions. This process starts with sitting down with client in an honest effort to understand the client's problems and learn what he expects to see and hear from the industry. This doesn't mean the industry should ignore its issues. It must find solutions to its problems that fit with the client's perspective or change the client's perspective through information that the client believes. This isn't going to be easy, but it must be done. Telling someone who is cold that it isn't cold doesn't convince that person that she isn't cold.

One must create a dialogue where there is an exchange of ideas. We must give up trying to convince the other side it is wrong. The message has to be presented in a way that fits the client's values and purpose, or the message will go unheard. However, when this is accomplished, it becomes a very powerful message.

It's also important to understand that the more information one is attempting to express, the more difficult it is to have effective communication. Therefore, we need to pare down the message. We must transfer only the information that is absolutely needed. The advice of Albert Einstein seems appropriate: "Everything should be made as simple as possible but not simpler."

Last month the author wrote that Peter Sanderson said he could have built the $230 million St. Anthony Falls Bridge in less than 11.5 months if he could have gotten answers faster. Despite the aggressive schedule and the fact that everyone was colocated, the transfer of information still hampered the process. The less information needed, the easier communication is.

Effective communication is in harmony with effective leadership. Effective leadership aligns the human resources then lets them do their job, thus minimizing the amount of information that must be transferred. This approach requires the various levels to communicate essential information that both parties are capable of understanding, thus making the communication effective.

 

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