We’ve been looking at the difference between choosing simple language verses complex language.
To review, we looked at talking in a manner with too much detail where our listener may get lost in following along because there is just so much information.
We also discussed why it is important to provide enough detail to allow our listener to formulate the picture in their mind of what we are saying.
Too much detail and the picture they see is complicated and busy, like a picture of a cityscape or a maze. Not enough detail and it’s just a fuzzy shadow of an image and they can’t really tell if it is a horse, a deer or a moose.
Next we talked about our word selection. Big, technical or scientific words will lose most people as they don’t know what the words mean. They are not everyday words of the general population. Our listener ends up listening for words they understand and try to guess at what is being said without knowing what the complex words mean, or they simply stopped listening.
Too simple of words or incomplete sentences (incomplete transmissions) leave our listener with big holes is the story which they have to fill with their own ideas and imagination.
All four of these have great potential for miscommunication.
The next challenge to consider in our quest to Pursue Great! in our communication skills, is understanding the danger of general words and specific words.
Let me illustrate with some examples. Think of the general word, “chair.” “Chair” can mean almost anything you sit on. Some possibilities are dining chair, recliner, beanbag chair, office desk chair, waiting room chair, patio, chair, bar stool, etc. I hope you see what I mean… there are lots of possibilities.
Now let’s say your spouse asked you to bring another chair into the living room for your guest to sit on. Chances are, you will think first of something fairly light and easily movable – say a kitchen chair. So you grab the chair and bring it in. Guess what… you just got in trouble because that was not the kind of chair your spouse wanted. They wanted the nice, comfortable rocking chair.
There is also a challenge with specific words because we all have experiences with some things and so we are predisposed to think of certain images when we hear certain words. Let me give you a few and you’ll see what comes into your mind:
Chevrolet – DeSoto – Subaru – Maserati
Ford – Honda – Duesenberg – Rolls Royce
Bugatti – Tucker – Cadillac – Volkswagen
Some of these car manufacture names will create images in your minds. Others may not. So the challenge with using specific words in our conversations is our hearers need to have exposure to the specific word and it’s context.
Words have meaning.
Whether the word we are using is simple, complex or specific they have meaning. Great communication comes from knowing which words to use with your particular audience and the type of conversation you are having.
If there is any chance there will be a misunderstanding about words you are using, be sure to define what they mean. You want your listener to hear what you are saying and to do that they have to understand the words you are using, (refer to our chair illustration).
It is much more fun, much greater satisfaction and you will have better relationships when you communicate clearly and get your messages set successfully.
As you are learning these new skills, treat it like a science experiment. Try it, test it and monitor the results! Have fun!