Are We Communicating?

Lately I've been talking about communication a lot with some of our ministry teams here at McGregor. Communication is a funny thing. We often think we have communicated well, but in reality, the receiver of our communication missed our intentions completely.

The biggest problem with communication is the assumption that it has taken place.

So, how's your communication? Here are several of my thoughts to hopefully encourage you in your ability to communicate more effectively with others...

• For overall impact, nothing beats face to face communication. I love emails, blogs, podcast, etc..., but nothing is as effective as talking to someone in person. I have to remind myself of this all the time.
  
• Never, ever, assume you have communicated your intended message. Ask your intended audience if they really heard what you thought you intended to communicate. Get feedback.
  
• Think "intentionality" when it comes to effective communication. In other words, are you intentionally planning how and when you are going to communicate. Good communication will not just happen - especially in marriage!
  
• Make time to communicate with the ones that matter the most. This includes family, team members, etc. Good communication will always cost you time.
  
• Become a better listener. The best communicators are usually the best listeners. How good do you listen to those around you?
• Keep communication as simple as possible. I'm still learning this. The tendency for me is to communicate everything I know. The most effective communicators are those who have learned to simplify their message. For those of us who communicate to groups, this may be the single most important factor in really good communication.
  

So, are you communicating? Feel free to post your ideas on what you think makes for effective communication.