Join Brenda Bailey-Hughes for an in-depth discussion in this video Mental filters, part of Organization Communication.
- Arnold "Red" Auerbach, legendary basketball coach,…was fond of saying,…"It's not what you tell players.…"It's what they hear that counts."…The same is true of our receivers.…Now that we've identified who should hear our message,…we must remember that these people will interpret…our message to understand its meaning.…See the lines drawn through the heads…of the senders and receivers?…These little lines remind us…that no listener is an empty vessel awaiting our message.…
Rather, people have mental filters.…We all have preconceived notions, assumptions,…biases good and bad,…our unique way of seeing the world.…Your receivers have their own perspectives…about you and your message.…These mental filters can skew…how our message is heard and understood.…Our third key communication question is,…how might my message be interpreted?…Let's consider a few examples.…
I send a memo to remind John…about an upcoming safety meeting.…How might John interpret my message?…He might think,…(sighs)…Brenda doesn't trust me to remember anything.…
- Who is the receiver of the message?
- Who would be the best sender?
- What is the focus of the message?
- How will it be interpreted?
- Is feedback necessary?
- What is the best channel?
- What is the context for the message?
- Identify the seven communication questions one should ask before every communication event.
- Explore potential sources of miscommunication.
- Recall the differences between an audience-tailored message and a generic message.
- Identify the most opportune time to use a communication flow diagram.
- Explore the potential pitfalls of soliciting feedback.
Along the way, Brenda shows how these key questions apply to four real-world scenarios at organizations of different sizes, locations, and functions. By the end of the course, you'll have the skills you need to improve the internal and external communication strategies at your company.