Some DONTs of Effective Communication

Some DONTs of Effective Communication

 

1. Don’t only send, listen!

When the changing of knowledge, attitudes and behavior is the aim of communication,
the ‘sending’ of messages is often the main concern of the communicators. In most
cases, listening to the people involved is more important than the sending of messages.
One must know the perceptions, beliefs and attitudes of the target groups, the language
they use and the way they can be reached. This implies that a great deal of listening is
an integral part of effective communication.

2. Don’t jump to means

A potential pitfall - which happens frequently - is starting to invest in means before
essential questions concerning the strategy have been answered. When this happens,
it is very likely that communication efforts will not be effective. There is a high risk that
either the wrong people are addressed with the right message or the right people are
reached with the wrong message.

3. But don’t over focus on strategies either

Another potential pitfall is the opposite of all that has been just mentioned above, that
is, to spend much energy and time on developing a communication strategy, then quickly
producing the communication means. This can result in a sound strategy implemented
with means which do not appeal or lack the necessary quality to be credible for the
target group.

4. Do not disregard communication barriers

Communication seems easy, but experience shows it is actually hard to communicate
effectively. Often, ambitions of communication are not met. Even worse, communication
can have negative side effects when used in the wrong way.
Why communication does seem so easy? It is our second nature. But often the person
or organization that communicates does not realize how the message will be interpreted
by the people for whom it is meant. Even worse, the message often does not even
reach the people concerned. There are many potential obstacles in the communication
process. Taking these obstacles into consideration, the effectiveness of communication
can be increased. The following barriers should be considered when one wants to
communicate:

• Said is not necessarily heard
• Heard is not necessarily understood
• Understood is not necessarily agreed upon
• Agreed is not necessarily acted upon
• Action is not necessarily repeated

5. Do not overestimate the potential of communication

Research has shown that the way people perceive situations and problems, strongly
depends on their perspective, values and previous experiences. It is also clear that it
is often very difficult to change people’s perception and that it can be a long term
process. It is more effective to regard other points of view as valuable instead of ‘untrue’.
Communicators should realize that in some situations the changing of perceptions is
unrealistic or may have negative side effects. If this is the case, the perception of the
people involved should be regarded as ‘reality’.

6. Do not underestimate the potential of communication

It is impossible to ‘not communicate’. If for instance a new industrial plant is installed
without communication with people living in the area, the message they will get might
be: ‘we are ignored, they don’t value our opinions, they just do as they like’.