The issue of communication depending on the listener not the sender is
real. Recent research says that nearly 2/3 of employees don't believe
management about a host of items. If I don't believe what you say, it
really doesn't matter much what you say, how you say it, why you say it's
important etc. I believe that the answer lies in an even more complex
issue...trust. For communications to be effective (or influential)
according to Ashe (1950's researcher) there are psychological aspects
which must be present and when they are, in combination, they produce
trust. Without trust, no communication. Sounds simple but it isn't.
(Anyone interested in the specifics of the Ashe research can contact me
directly for details.)
I have been working on a model for effective organizational communications
which combines trust with the old standbys of targeted messages delivered
in a timely way. If the issue of trust can be succesfully addressed, and
then maintained, I submit that communication becomes much quicker and
easier, no matter what the topic.
Paula Bartholome
PBparallax.aol.com
"The greatest problem with communication is the illusion it has been
accomplished."
George Bernard Shaw
--Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>