Consciously Listen and Speak

Clear communication is one of the critical skills for working well on an innovation team.  It's essential to the innovation process in terms of: a) conveying solutions effectively,
b) diagnosing challenges and opportunities properly, c) ensuring successful implementation, and d) creating brilliant solutions in a team environment.

Yet it's so easy for communication to go awry.  Many years ago, when I worked in the advertising field, I would periodically get phone calls from a recruiter, who would always try to hook my attention by asking something like, "How would you like to work on Nestle" or "How would you like to work on Toyota?"  What he meant was, would you like a job working for an agency working on the Nestle or  Toyota advertising business?  I admit, it did capture my attention, especially if I was having a bad day.

One day, after a particularly stressful one, he called me just as I had walked into my house (coat and hat still on) and proposed his latest opportunity, "How would you like to work on Mars?"

My response? "How would I manage the commute to another planet?!"  I'd heard the offer as one that was literally out of this world!

Once I realized what he really meant, we both laughed (okay, he was annoyed at first, thinking I was joking with him...truly, I didn't get it!).  In the meantime, we were both using the same words, but understood it to mean something completely different.  Apparently he was thinking I'd live in St. Louis, and I was thinking I'd live in a place with, literally, no atmosphere!

While it is important to choose your words carefully (you must be responsible for that), it's also important to take responsibility for making sure the other person heard you correctly.  That's why it's always a good practice to check their understanding by asking them what they heard you say. 

This is critical for important conversations.  And when you don't have a rocket-ship.
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(Speaking of advertising: we'll address conscious listening and clear speaking as a part of our Enterprise Innovation Workshop, the details for which can be found in the upper right hand corner of this blog!)

Comments

[New & Improved, LLC]

Scott -- Great comments! I really like your suggestion of getting down to basics, uncluttering, and speaking as though talking to a layperson. As someone who internally groans whenever anyone uses jargon or a TLA (three-letter acronym), I applaud the sentiment and the approach! Thanks for sharing.

[Scott Noppe-Brandon]

Jonathan, thanks for highlighting the importance of communication in a culture of innovation. Of course, communication doesn’t only help us interact with others; it can also help us on a personal level. One example of this is a practice I call “untying your tongue.” Imagine that you’re bogged down in a big, long-term project. You’re so immersed in its details and jargon that you’ve lost any sense of perspective. In such a situation, try talking about the project to friends, coworkers, or family members (children are great for this) who know nothing about it. Drop all of your insider’s language and explain things clearly, simply, so that they understand. “But what’s the point?” you ask. Well, you’ll soon realize that in your attempt to reach out to others who lack your specialized knowledge, you’ve had to ignore your accumulated assumptions and get back to basics—-and now you can reapproach your project with an open, uncluttered mind. You’re free to imagine again. Indeed, communication with a layperson often releases us from restrictions on our thinking imposed by habit, by professional terminology, by all of the mental plaque that builds up in our working lives. Speaking plainly reminds us of what we’re really trying to accomplish. – Scott Noppe-Brandon, Executive Director, Lincoln Center Institute