Being misunderstood

• How might you contribute to other people's misunderstanding?
• Blaming others could make progress difficult.
• Have you sought feedback on what you do specifically?
• Do you ask WHAT people understand to encourage dialogue? Or do you ask the usual closed question: ''Is that clear?''
• Don't feel bad. Legions ask this closed question and get a ''yes'' in return whether they are understood or not.
• No one's trying to deceive you. We just don't absorb as much of what we're told as we think we do.
• Much better to ask people to play back their understanding of what you're saying and how they feel about it.
• This confirms whether they got your message.
• Saying it themselves also helps them remember it.
• Being misunderstood often stems from too much one-way communication.
• To foster more dialogue, try asking more questions.
• This means involving people more in deciding what to do and relying less on telling them what you want them to do.
• Not only will you be better understood, your listeners will then feel more commitment to doing what you would like them to do.