
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. [Babiak & Hare 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
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Footnotes
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Related articles
More articles on Effective Communication at Work:
Troublesome Terminology
- The terms we use at work to talk about practices, policies, and procedures are serviceable, for the
most part. But some of them carry connotations and hidden messages that undermine our larger purposes.
Unwelcome Workplace Hugs
- Some of us are uncomfortable about workplace hugs, and some want to be selective. Sometimes hugs are
simply inappropriate. Here are some tips for dealing with unwelcome workplace hugs.
Cognitive Biases and Influence: I
- The techniques of influence include inadvertent — and not-so-inadvertent — uses of cognitive
biases. They are one way we lead each other to accept or decide things that rationality cannot support.
Chronic Peer Interrupters: I
- When making contributions to meeting discussions, we're sometimes interrupted. Often, the interruption
is beneficial and saves time. But some people constantly interrupt their peers or near peers, disrespectfully,
in a pattern that compromises meeting outcomes. How can we deal with chronic peer interrupters?
When You Feel Attacked
- Verbal attacks might be upsetting, but in creative conflicts they're usually permissible if related
to substantive matters. When verbal attacks are personal, they can be unfair and illegitimate. The ability
to recenter yourself quickly is invaluable.
See also Effective Communication at Work and Effective Communication at Work for more related articles.
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