COMMUNICATION. CONVERSATION. DISCUSSION!

I’ve said for years that one of the keys to success in business is the Three C’s: Clear, Constant Communication.

Sounds simple. It isn’t.

Part of the problem is that we often confuse communicating, conversating and discussing. They are not the same thing.

COMMUNICATING = INFORMATION

I give you information.

An email. A Teams message. A presentation. A memo. A town hall.

Message sent. Box ticked. “We communicated it.”

Wonderful.

Except people absorb communication differently. Some read every word. Some skim it. Some need to hear it. Some need to see it. Some need it explained three times.

And some will swear blind they never received the email that is sitting in their inbox.

CONVERSATING = INTERACTION

We exchange information.

Now we are talking and listening, questioning and responding.

Or at least that is the theory.

Because there is a significant difference between talking with somebody and talking at somebody.

Two people taking turns to speak while simultaneously preparing their next response is not necessarily a conversation. Sometimes it is just two monologues sharing the same room.

And yes, boys, apparently the new saying of the day is that we’re rather good at “mansplaining” when engaging with our female colleagues.

We seriously need to tweak our EQ and zip the lip, boys! 😏

Sometimes listening really does mean stopping talking.

DISCUSSING = UNDERSTANDING, DECISION AND ACTION

We work through the information.

This is where communication starts producing business results.

A proper discussion is a purposeful exchange: understanding the issue, challenging assumptions, considering different perspectives and ultimately reaching a conclusion.

But it cannot stop there.

What have we agreed? Who does what? By when? And what does that decision affect elsewhere in the business?

Think about the people to the left, to the right, above and below.

Think about the process upstream and downstream.

Because changing something in one little box on the organisation chart can create absolute carnage in another if nobody joins the dots.

So perhaps the real flow is:

COMMUNICATION → INFORMATION CONVERSATION → INTERACTION DISCUSSION → DECISION → ACTION

And then, of course, we come full circle.

Because those actions need to be communicated.

Clearly. Constantly.

The Three C’s.

Simple? Yes.

Easy? Absolutely not.

Comments welcomed, as always!

MC