3 vital elements of business communication
When communicating something, usually there are 3 different factors we would want to consider:
- Now vs Later
- Direct vs Indirect
- Explicit vs Implicit
Now vs Later
| Now | Later |
|---|---|
| Issue absolutely needs to be addressed at this time | Can be / better addressed later |
| Receiving person ready to receive | Receiving person not ready |
| You have sufficient info to form reasonably robust judgment | You lack sufficient information |
| Receiving person prefers to know things early and clearly | Receiving person prefers to know things when things are firm |
| Receiving person is decisive | Receiving person likes to keep things open |
| Critical mass of conditions for the achievement of influence objectives exist | Conditions for the achievement of influence objectives do not exist |
Example tactics / phases for “Now”
"I get the sense it is better for you to know now..."
Example tactics / phrases for “Later”
“Since I am not sure yet, I would like to think it over a bit more”
“It would be better for me to get a bit more input first”
“This requires more deliberation by you and I. Let’s sleep on it a bit”
"At the right time, I will let you know"
Stay silent on information/ view
Direct vs Indirect
| Receiving person deals more effectively with direct communication for the specific issue | Receiving person less likely to cope effectively with the message if communicated directly but (s)he needs to know |
| You want no room for mis-interpretation of your point of view | Issue is complex and 2-way dialogue to explore issue will help receiver grasp the messages better or more completely |
| Person absorbs messages quickly and well | Person needs time to absorb messages Or messages are better understood deductively after data are given |
| Person does not mind being told difficult | Person wants to come to realization messages themselves |
| Receiving person values efficiency & speed | Receiving person values completeness and context |
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|
Example tactics / phases for “Direct”
"May I have your permission to give you some direct feedback on x?"
"So as to avoid any misunderstanding, let me state my view/position on x plainly..."
"We unfortunately do not have the luxury of time for fullness of everyone's views to be shared.
Would anyone mind very much if I were to jump the queue to share my position / hypothesis on
x?”
"I haven't landed on where I'd bet my money on this, but here's my leaning...."
Example tactics / phases for “Indirect”
“Help me understand…”
“It is a surprise to me…”
“I am having a little bit of trouble understanding…”
"I guess I hear many of us are saying that...Is there another way to go think about this?"
“I observed you do X, and it made me think Y and feel Z.”
“It seems there are multiple forces at work. I can think of A and B, what is coming up for you?
“What do you see in this situation?” “What’s the way forward?”
“What did we do (or not do) that contributed to ____ [outcome]?”
“What could we, you, I have done (do) to shape a more successful outcome?”
“How often is this a problem? What are we going to do to fix it?”
“How certain are we about the issue and/or solution?”
Explicit vs Implicit
| Explicit | Implicit |
|---|---|
| Receiving person deals effectively with explicit communication for the specific issue | Receiving person deals effectively with implicit communication for the specific issue |
| You want things to be on the record | Sensitive and high stakes issue where commitment to a position might be costly |
| Receiving person doesn’t take things personally | Receiving person is insecure / nervous and might feel attacked by explicit, direct communication |
| Person does not mind being told difficult issues | You want to see what someone is aware of, and how they make sense of things |
| When you have doubts about your own intentionality or how deliberate you want to be | |
| When they want to hedge or remain flexible in some aspect of the communication |
Example tactics / phases for “Explicit”
“Let me be on record to say...”
“I know it’s a difficult issue for us to address, and it pains me to raise this, but for the good of the
company, it is my responsibility to point out…”
" I am sure the results will turn out alright".
" I know I can trust you the most so I am going to tell you..."
Example tactics / phases for “Implicit”
"I have full confidence that you will deliver the results".
"I am not going to tell this to anyone else but you"
“What could this mean to us if we don’t know about/have X?”
“If everyone did (X undesirable behavior), where would that leave us?”
“Can we afford not to do X by Y time?”
“How would this view jive with our values (aspirations, commitments, responsibilities)?”
“What would our founder have said if he is still with us?”
"This reminded me of another situation.... This was what happened..."
“What does the foregoing discussion add up to?”