Get The Point: Good Communication

As a former basketball player I always appreciated a fellow player who passed me the ball where I wanted it. But how did they know where to pass it? Well I first communicated with my eyes and hands to give them a target and let the passer know when and where I wanted the ball. Then based on practice, the passer knows that I don’t like a pass that is too strong or too low (us tall guys can’t get down too easily).

The same principles apply to communication between co-workers. Some people like facts and are very business like. Others need more preamble and information to understand and process your request. You need to understand your audience, their preferences and personalities and adjust your message accordingly.

Pay attention to the receiver’s body language as this often tells you more than what they say. As a receiver, providing feedback (paraphrasing what you understand to be the message) helps close the loop that a message’s intent was understood and doesn’t require more info.