Avoiding Miscommunication in Business Practice

Businesspeople need to be aware at all times for vagueness or nominalizations in daily professional interactions. You don’t want a potential client to “shoot the messenger.”

Replacing vague or subjective words is often the key to preventing miscommunication. In addition, being well prepared for all presentations, listening carefully to others (and to yourself!), speaking clearly and using concrete words rather than vague and unspecific words will decrease miscommunication.

Common Mis-Communication Mistakes:

Explaining Too Soon
You begin to justify your company before your business prospect finishes speaking. This comes from natural defensiveness. Remember that the client did not have to take time out of their equally busy day to meet with you. They do want to know more. Allow the time to relay their complete thoughts before you start giving yours. You may have already closed the deal!

Interpreting
You start to imagine the reasons your listener is hesitant to ”buy-in” and then respond to your insecurities instead of the real content of the message. Remind yourself to keep an open mind - most people do tell you their concerns if you are really listening.

Passing the Buck
This response to a prospect’s communication means you are unwilling to accept responsibility for your actions. A common tactic is to try to put the responsibility on "the market," or "traders," or "market makers" or "someone else." In fact, those CEOs who take responsibility and clearly define the obstacles encountered and obstacles overcome are people who are always well received.

Changing the Subject
Different methods can derail your business prospect and cause him to lose his train of thought or focus. For example, you might shift from a feelings-level conversation to an intellectual discussion by replying specifically to the content of the communication rather than to its underlying emotion. The result of any of these types of redirections, whether conscious or not, is that the speaker feels that he is not being taken seriously. Take your lead from the person in front of you. All communication is a way of dancing with a partner, so in this analogy, let your prospect lead. Also, meetings are about people, so naturally each meeting will be different. Always be flexible in your presentation skills and keep the tone consistent with that of the listener.

Turning the Communication into a Joke
You tell a joke or make a sarcastic remark when your prospect is being serious. When you get caught you say: "I was only kidding when I said that. I didn't expect you to take me seriously." You may have made light of a potential business partner’s concerns, which may leave him with the feeling that none of the discussion should be taken seriously and also that you fundamentally do not respect him.

Condescension
Communication occurs most effectively between equals or people who are more or less equals. One way to impede communication is to pull rank or remind a fellow business traveler of his shortcomings. The person who resorts to one-ups-man-ship is distancing himself in the interaction. Turning communication into a joke or being condescending, incidentally, are frequent faux pas at meetings with brokers, and can be costly mistakes.

Becoming Frustrated by Questions
Try not to become upset if your prospect keeps interrupting you to ask questions. You are going to tell him everything he wants to know, but he may know more than he’s letting on. His questions may be his way of getting directly to the issues that cause him concern, or he may even want to see how you handle disruption! Think of it this way: if questions are being asked, especially a lot of questions, it means you have a hot prospect in front of you. Otherwise, he would simply listen for a short time, thank you politely, and leave.

Being Longwinded
The longer it takes to tell your story, the greater the possibility for too much interpretation. This point cannot be over-emphasized--the importance of keeping your presentation brief and to the point is of the utmost importance.

Dian Griesel, Ph.D.
Founder & Chairman
The Investor Relations Group
www.investorrelationsgroup.com

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