Communication is a funny thing. Just because sounds are being made or messages are being seen, does not mean that you are effectively communicating. Sometimes the message is misunderstood. Sometimes the message misses its mark and sometimes the message never sees the light of day. These unintentional communication problems can be very destructive to a business. Your message about your product, service, and the company tells customers why you are different. It is your attraction factor. It makes you stand out and presents you as a market leader. Many times, and certainly in business, a miscommunication is certainly not on purpose. I will give you an example of miscommunication from my personal life.
One day when I was quite young, my mother was waiting for the TV repairman to show up at our home and Norfolk. Our TV, which was an old Magnavox black and white with the phonograph, and radio had gone out. We had a mynah bird who sat in his cage in the dining room between the living room and the kitchen. A mynah bird is like a parrot, except much smaller, much louder, and much better at mimicking voices. So not only do they say different phrases and lots of them, but they could also mimic a person’s voice to sound like that person. This minor bird loved to mimic my mother. And he would do so at the most inopportune times. That day was one of those times.
The repairman showed up and my mother explained the problem and took him to the living room where the TV was. He took the back off the console. My mother watched him from two rooms away in the kitchen, as he went about his work. This was a huge guy. He was huffing and puffing with each movement. He was really overweight with his stomach hanging way over his belt and his belt was clearly losing the battle with his pants. He went around to the front of the tv and bent over to reach a tube in the back. Just as he bent over with his pants drooping and butt crack exposed, the mynah bird who was in between the kitchen and the living room decided to comment loudly. It gave a cat call whistle and yelled (in my mother’s voice) “Oh Boy!” The repairman stood and spun around to face my mother, pulling up his pants as he did so. My mother who knew she could not explain the situation and was totally embarrassed turned and quickly walked back into the kitchen. Miscommunication? Yes! Embarrassing to both parties? Yes! Funny? Definitely!
In this case, there was a miscommunication, and in this case, it was funny, although the repairman might disagree. But in business, bad communication can lose sales, damage careers, or ruin brands. We help our clients communicate effectively with their customers in a variety of ways using video, print, interviews, or websites. So, are you having an “Oh Boy” moment with your communication? Just how effective is your messaging? If you’d like to discuss it, we would be happy to set up a FREE consultation or you can set one up yourself here: https://bit.ly/3v2dNt3