Greek philosopher Epictetus said, “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”
Studies have proven this to be almost true. We spend 70-80% of our waking hours in some form of communication. 45% of that time is spent listening. (9% writing, 16% reading, and 30% speaking.) But most of us are actually poor, ineffective listeners.
We have the mental capacity to understand 400 words per minute, but most people speak at a rate of about 125 words per minute. Since we only use 25% of our mental capability when listening to someone speak, 75% of our minds are free for other things. Basically, we get bored listening to people talk, and our minds wander.
Active listening is a skill that takes conscious effort, especially when we only remember between 25 and 50% of what we hear. You can find tips on how to be a better listener with a quick Google search. While I do think the tips are helpful, I also think that part of it comes back to people just being human.
People want to feel heard. It really can be as simple as “treat others the way you want to be treated”. How many of us appreciate when someone checks their phone when we’re talking? Or when you can visibly see the person has checked out of the communication? Be present in the conversation. Don’t skim the email, read it.
Effective communication is key to any relationship, even working ones. However, we often fail to recognize we have a responsibility as a message receiver, just as we have a responsibility as a message sender. We need to ensure that we received the message in the way that the sender intended, as the sender needs to ensure the message was received in the way it was intended. We often tend to forget to confirm proper delivery.
Listening is something that I think we take for granted. No one teaches us how to do it. In fact, 76% of business programs have an oral presentation component, whereas only 11% have a listening component.
The game “Telephone” is a perfect example of how communication breaks down based on what we hear. We once played the game with a group of foremen and supervisors as an icebreaker activity. While it was fun and games, it was also a valuable lesson on how easily information can be misinterpreted and how the entire message can become skewed. What made it even more complicated (and realistic for agriculture) was that we had native Spanish speakers and native English speakers mingled throughout, and the translation interpretations did not go unnoticed.
It’s important to remember that the data outlined earlier demonstrates a natural communication breakdown based on what our brains process. Depending on how many links are within your chain of command, the retention rate of information can actually be very low. We must also take into consideration how past experiences shape our understanding of information received, and how that shapes information sent.
Communication is more complicated than what we perceive it to be. Are you satisfied with the interpersonal and interdepartmental communication within your organization? Allows us to help you analyze their effectiveness and provide helpful solutions toward improvement.