![A dangerous curve in an icy road A dangerous curve in an icy road](../images/icy-road.png)
A dangerous curve in an icy road. It's a metaphor for risky communications in which the risk arises from the content of the communication. The vehicle is the communicator and the road is the message.
In Part 1 of this exploration, I described three communication antipatterns that can arise independent of what we intend to communicate. In this Part 2, I describe antipatterns that arise, in part, because of the attributes of what we're communicating.
As in the previous posts in this series, I use the name Eugene (E for Expressing) when I'm referring to the person expressing an idea, asking a question, or in some other way contributing new material to an exchange. And I use the name Rachel (R for Receiving) when I'm referring to someone who's Receiving Eugene's communication.
With that prolog, here are three antipatterns that increase the risk of miscommunication.
- Second language/culture effects
- Even though all discussion participants are speaking the same language, for some participants, that language is their native language, while for others, it's a second language (or third, or …) acquired later in life. Miscommunications can arise when using the later-acquired language to convey culture-specific concepts. So, for example, if Eugene is speaking his first language, and Rachel her second, it's easy to imagine the difficulties that can arise. Even easier: Both are speaking the same later-acquired language.
- An analogous risk pertains to cultural factors. If the matter at hand has cultural components, a participant who hails from a different culture might understand the contributions of others in a way that differs from the way they were intended.
- For example, the word jurors in the sentence, "Jurors decide who is guilty" can become judge when used (or heard) by someone unfamiliar with the notion of jury trials. [Pavlenko 2017]
- The game of telephone
- The game Telephone is a globally popular game for children. Players arrange themselves in a chain or line. The player at one end of the chain whispers a message to the next player in the chain, who then passes it along to the next, and so on. For chains of five or more, the message received at the end of the chain can be strikingly different from the original message. The contrast can be very entertaining.
- At work, this effect is far from entertaining, because we depend on faithful replication at each link of the chain. Distortion is more likely to appear when complex or technical information is passed from one person to the next. When groups converse under time pressure, distortions are introduced and they can lead to miscommunications.
- Anger and hostility are afoot
- Under time pressure, or pressure of any kind, we can experience stress. And stress can lead to anger. [Arslan 2010] When participants become angry, their ability to understand each other — or even to think clearly — can become impaired. [Miller 2023]
- An ability to If the matter at hand has cultural components, a
participant who hails from a different culture might
understand the contributions of others in a way
that differs from the way they were intendednotice anger early is helpful in mitigating the risk of undesirable outcomes when we communicate under time pressure. Early notice of anger begins with awareness of time pressure. When we know we're under time pressure, we can be alert to the onset of anger. - Political consequences
- In some instances, Eugene might be aware that certain contributions to a conversation might have political consequences. For example, questioning the credibility of a report might be equivalent to questioning the credibility of the author of the report.
- Political sensitivity can affect the content of communications. For example, Eugene might be aware that political consequences of certain comments could be significant and unwelcome. He might tend to withhold those comments. Or he might tend to slant them so as to limit their unwelcome effects. When this happens, Eugene might be unaware of the full effects of the adjustments. Unintended distortions are possible.
Last words
In Part III of this exploration we describe antipatterns that arise from contextual factors. First issue in this series
Next issue in this series
Top
Next Issue
Are you fed up with tense, explosive meetings? Are you or a colleague the target of a bully? Destructive conflict can ruin organizations. But if we believe that all conflict is destructive, and that we can somehow eliminate conflict, or that conflict is an enemy of productivity, then we're in conflict with Conflict itself. Read 101 Tips for Managing Conflict to learn how to make peace with conflict and make it an organizational asset. Order Now!
Footnotes
Your comments are welcome
Would you like to see your comments posted here? rbrendPtoGuFOkTSMQOzxner@ChacEgGqaylUnkmwIkkwoCanyon.comSend me your comments by email, or by Web form.About Point Lookout
Thank you for reading this article. I hope you enjoyed it and
found it useful, and that you'll consider recommending it to a friend.
This article in its entirety was written by a human being. No machine intelligence was involved in any way.
Point Lookout is a free weekly email newsletter. Browse the archive of past issues. Subscribe for free.
Support Point Lookout by joining the Friends of Point Lookout, as an individual or as an organization.
Do you face a complex interpersonal situation? Send it in, anonymously if you like, and I'll give you my two cents.
Related articles
More articles on Effective Communication at Work:
When Naming Hurts
- One of our great strengths as Humans is our ability to name things. Naming empowers us by helping us
think about and communicate complex ideas. But naming has a dark side, too. We use naming to oversimplify,
to denigrate, to disempower, and even to dehumanize. When we abuse this tool, we hurt our companies,
our colleagues, and ourselves.
You and I
- In tense discussions, the language we use often contributes to the tension. If we can transform the
statements we make about each other into statements about ourselves, we can eliminate an important source
of tension and stress.
That Was a Yes-or-No Question: II
- When, in the presence of others, someone asks you "a simple yes or no" question, beware. Chances
are that you're confronting a trap. Here's Part II of a set of suggestions for dealing with the yes-or-no
trap.
Interrupting Others in Meetings Safely: I
- In meetings we sometimes feel the need to interrupt others to offer a view or information, or to suggest
adjusting the process. But such interruptions carry risk of offense. How can we interrupt others safely?
Mastering Messaging for Pandemics: II
- When pandemics rage, face-to-face meetings are largely curtailed. Clarity in text messaging and email
therefore becomes more important. Some sources of confusion that might not be noticeable in speech can
cause real trouble in messaging.
See also Effective Communication at Work and Effective Meetings for more related articles.
Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout
Coming July 3: Additive bias…or Not: II
- Additive bias is a cognitive bias that many believe contributes to bloat of commercial products. When we change products to make them more capable, additive bias might not play a role, because economic considerations sometimes favor additive approaches. Available here and by RSS on July 3.
And on July 10: On Delegating Accountability: I
- As the saying goes, "You can't delegate your own accountability." Despite wide knowledge of this aphorism, people try it from time to time, especially when overcome by the temptation of a high-risk decision. What can you delegate, and how can you do it? Available here and by RSS on July 10.
Coaching services
I offer email and telephone coaching at both corporate and individual rates. Contact Rick for details at rbrendPtoGuFOkTSMQOzxner@ChacEgGqaylUnkmwIkkwoCanyon.com or (650) 787-6475, or toll-free in the continental US at (866) 378-5470.
Get the ebook!
Past issues of Point Lookout are available in six ebooks:
- Get 2001-2 in Geese Don't Land on Twigs (PDF, )
- Get 2003-4 in Why Dogs Wag (PDF, )
- Get 2005-6 in Loopy Things We Do (PDF, )
- Get 2007-8 in Things We Believe That Maybe Aren't So True (PDF, )
- Get 2009-10 in The Questions Not Asked (PDF, )
- Get all of the first twelve years (2001-2012) in The Collected Issues of Point Lookout (PDF, )
Are you a writer, editor or publisher on deadline? Are you looking for an article that will get people talking and get compliments flying your way? You can have 500-1000 words in your inbox in one hour. License any article from this Web site. More info
Follow Rick
![Send email or subscribe to one of my newsletters](../images/social-icons/email-32.png)
![Follow me at LinkedIn](../images/social-icons/linkedin-reg-32.png)
![Follow me at X, or share a post](../images/social-icons/x-32.png)
![Subscribe to RSS feeds](../images/social-icons/feed-icon-32.png)
![Subscribe to RSS feeds](../images/social-icons/facebook-icon-32.png)
Recommend this issue to a friend
Send an email message to a friend
rbrendPtoGuFOkTSMQOzxner@ChacEgGqaylUnkmwIkkwoCanyon.comSend a message to Rick
A Tip A Day feed
Point Lookout weekly feed
![Technical Debt for Policymakers Blog](../images/logos/techdebtpolicy-logo-sm-1.png)