Posts Tagged with "communication"

#1: The primacy of communication.

Communicating well is one of your most important arts. Large and sustained success come only through others; you reach others only through communication. And since you are ultimately accountable for your own successes, it is your job to be understood.Read more →

#1a: The secret to clear writing.

The secret to clear communication, at least in writing, is to use simple sentences. The reader you aim to persuade is not intrinsically interested in your idea, so you must minimise the effort required for your idea to be understood.Read more →

#1a1: Write truthfully.

Give your reader no reason to mistrust or doubt you. Be truthful and confident. Avoid overstatement, lest your reader find all your words before and after such overstatement suspect.Read more →

#1a2: Good writing comes from the right words.

Good writing comes from the right words. Don't write more than you need to — ensure each word serves a relevant purpose. The same is true for sentences and for paragraphs.Read more →

#1b: Be concise in speech (especially in meetings).

As with writing, so with speaking — keep your sentences short and to the point. This is especially important when considering the context in which a lot of communication happens: meetings.Read more →

#1c: Communicate clearly.

When you have something to say, make sure you have said it. Be clear. Clarity is a virtue when communicating.Read more →

#1c1: Share with purpose.

As Strunk and White wrote, a word may be in the dictionary, but that doesn't mean you have to use it. Same too with ideas — not every idea is worth sharing.Read more →

#1d: Consider what people hear (not just what you say).

When considering good communication, keep in mind this maxim: "it's not what you say, it's what people hear.Read more →

#1d1: How to communicate with the media — a short primer.

How you communicate depends on your audience. Consider the media. Like any other audience, you must tailor your message for them. What is your general mode of interaction with them? Often infrequent and for a specific purpose.Read more →

#1d2: Start your speech with the "why".

Don't just start with the end in mind, start with it in speech. Connect your audience to the "why" early. Let them know why it matters.Read more →

#1e: The importance of buy-in.

Gaining buy-in is a key reason for communicating well. As you rise in an organisation, the outcomes expected of you outpace the growth in your capacity as an individual contributor.Read more →

#1e2: Why should you scale your communication?

In some situations, you'll find yourself needing to not only communicate to people but through people. As a front-line manager, you can directly communicate a vision and strategy with your team. Yet it's likely that this strategic direction was communicated with you by someone higher up.Read more →

#1f: The power of the written word.

The written word is powerful. A blog post, strategy document, or proposal all lend their ideas more weight by virtue of being written. Writing makes ideas real, makes canonical what was previously ephemeral.Read more →

#1f2: The deception of words.

Words cannot entirely depict reality. They are a map, not the territory.Read more →

#3c: Why do teams break down past a certain size?

Small teams are, in most cases, preferable to large teams. This is in large part due to the web of human interactions that comprise a team.Read more →

#8a2: Siloing, and the benefits of networks.

Siloing is defined by the level of cross-group communication. The higher the ratio of internal to external communication, the more siloed that group is. At the heart of siloing is communication, relationships, and networks — and both individuals and teams can benefit from expanding their network.Read more →

#10: Technology companies are human communication companies.

Almost all the companies in the business of technology are, primarily, in the business of human communication. Success of failure of a company relies not as much on the quality of its technology as on the quality of its communication at all levels.Read more →

Reference #27: What Got You Here Won't Get You There

Before speaking, ask "is it worth it?". You'll often find the answer is "no".Read more →

Reference #28: What Got You Here Won't Get You There

The interpersonal skill which stands out in many successful people is their ability to make the other person in a conversation feel special.Read more →

Reference #29: What Got You Here Won't Get You There

When attempting to change your behaviour based on feedback, follow-up is necessary for change. You will need to regularly check with your colleagues to see whether you are improving.Read more →

Reference #49: An Elegant Puzzle

Here's a brief primer on speaking with the media:Read more →

Reference #52: An Elegant Puzzle

When presenting a topic — either in writing or while giving a presentation — it is important to start with the conclusion and frame why the topic matters.Read more →

Reference #125: Peopleware

Around 15% of all software projects fail completely.Read more →

Reference #126: Peopleware

Despite working with technology in our roles, it is more accurate to say that we are not in the technology business but rather the business of human communications.Read more →

Reference #152: Peopleware

Much of the work in our roles is sociological and involves communication, and so part of the interview for these roles should be too.Read more →

Reference #177: Peopleware

While an open organisation in which people are happy to have their work seen is admirable, this organisation can become dysfunctional.Read more →

Reference #185: Peopleware

Organisational learning is enabled by the peering of middle managers.Read more →

Reference #196: The First 90 Days

As an organisational leader, your direct reports play a greater role in communicating your vision and spreading critical information. The ability of your team to communicate well is important.Read more →

Reference #198: The First 90 Days

Joining a new company is much harder than being promoted from within.Read more →

Reference #219: The First 90 Days

One of the fundamentals of building a productive relationship with your boss is this: "no surprises.Read more →

Reference #224: The First 90 Days

There are five specific conversations on transition-related subjects you should have with your boss in your first 90 days. They are not constrained to individual meetings but instead are ongoing and intertwined discussions.Read more →

Reference #225: The First 90 Days

The foundation of what you do in your role is a shared understanding with your boss of the business situation you face.Read more →

Reference #233: The First 90 Days

As a new boss, while undergoing your own transition you can also help transition your direct reports. One way to do this is by using the [five conversation framework](/posts/lit-note-224).Read more →

Reference #260: The First 90 Days

Stories and metaphors are effective tools for communicating the essence of a shared vision.Read more →

Reference #261: The First 90 Days

Repetition is invaluable for persuasive communication. To reinforce your team's understanding of and commitment to a shared vision, repeat it.Read more →

Reference #278: The First 90 Days

There are several classic influence techniques to consider applying:Read more →

Reference #279: The First 90 Days

When you frame your arguments, consider Aristotle's categories of rhetoric: logos, ethos, and pathos.Read more →

Reference #280: The First 90 Days

Effective framing of your argument focuses on repeating a few core themes until they are internalised by your audience. Repetition is an effective tool because repetition is how we learn.Read more →

Reference #281: The First 90 Days

You can use framing to inoculate people against counterarguments.Read more →

Reference #302: Empowered

Communicating product vision, principles, and strategy is a critical role of leaders.Read more →

Reference #454: Organizational Culture and Leadership

Dialogue is fundamentally different from discussion. In discussion, your goal is often to solve problems quickly and try to win arguments. Dialogue slows down the conversation to allow you to examine your assumptions and reflect on what you say and hear.Read more →

Reference #455: Organizational Culture and Leadership

"Talking to the campfire" is a form of dialogue derived from native cultures. Some cultures engage in dialogue by gathering around and talking to a campfire rather than to each other. The absence of eye contact facilitates the suspension of reactions or objections.Read more →

Reference #456: Organizational Culture and Leadership

Effective dialogue requires suspension by its participants. This is enabled through rules imposed by the conversational process: not interrupting, talking to the campfire fire rather than to each other, limiting eye contact, and starting with a "check-in".Read more →

Reference #457: Organizational Culture and Leadership

Reflective conversation leads to better listening. You are more likely to understand the meaning in the words of others if you have identified your own assumptions.Read more →

Reference #458: Organizational Culture and Leadership

Dialogue personalise cultural issues. This is especially true for dialogue with check-ins and conversations on critical issues of culture such as authority and intimacy. When you talk only about generalisations of countries and how their culture has evolved, your conversation is often transactional.Read more →

Reference #459: Organizational Culture and Leadership

Cultural misunderstanding can across levels of organisational hierarchy, even where the same macrocultures are shared. Going down the hierarchy, the miscommunication mainly results from misunderstood instructions. Going up the hierarchy, the main misunderstanding comes from lost information.Read more →

Reference #461: Organizational Culture and Leadership

Many organisational issues — especially safety issues in high-hazard industries and healthcare — are caused by poor cross-cultural communication.Read more →

Reference #474: Organizational Culture and Leadership

The "niceties" of social life — manners and morals, politeness, and tact — are in fact essential rules for keeping a social society intact. An important concept in this understanding is "face": a self-image of who we are, along with a degree of self-esteem.Read more →

Reference #478: Organizational Culture and Leadership

The most powerful mechanism a leader has for communicating what she cares about is systematically paying attention to it.Read more →

Leadership is direction, alignment, and commitment

Can you describe what good leadership looks like? What does it mean for leadership to “happen”? And are you doing it?Read more →

Why don't leaders and employees understand each other?

Why do leaders sometimes get it so wrong? Why do policies created with the best of intentions meet with resistance? Why does it seem like leaders and their employees speak different languages? The answer is that employees don’t trust their leaders and don’t feel safe.Read more →