Fundamentals of Communications

It is the recipient who communicates. Unless there is someone who hears, there is no
communication. There is only noise. One can perceive only what one is capable of perceiving. One
can communicate only in the recipients language or in recipients/their terms. And the terms
have to be eperience!based. "e perceive, as a rule, what we epect to perceive. "e see largely
what we epect to see, and we hear largely what we epect to hear. The unepected is usually
not received at all. #ommunication always ma$es demands. It always demands that the recipient
become somebody, do something, believe something. It always appeals to motivation. If it goes
against her aspirations, her values, her motivations, it is li$ely not to be received at all or, at
best, to be resisted.
"here communication is perception, information is logic. As such, information is purely formal
and has no meaning. Information is always encoded. To be received, let alone to be used, the
code must be $nown and understood by the recipient. This re%uires prior agreement, that is, some
communication.
&ource' Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices
Drucker on communication in organizations
In writing this blog, I have often found myself referring to the work of Peter
Drucker. Much of his thinking still resonates strongly with me today, even though a lot of it
originated more than 50 years ago.
And so it is with his insightfulasever comments on communication.
The context - communication from an informal coalitions perspective
As I!ve suggested in earlier "osts #see Beyond Buzz- Lessons for leadership communication in
organizational change, for e$am"le%, communication is central to the way that change ha""ens
in organi&ations. Performance outcomes emerge from the myriad of conversations that take "lace
everyday, both within the organi&ation and beyond. 'hese conversations form "art of the formal,
structured arrangements of the organi&ation but, most importantly, they also arise
s"ontaneously during informal interactions.
It is through the selforgani&ing inter"lay of these fragmented and dynamic networks of
conversations that "eo"le make sense of what!s going on and decide how to act. As the "atterns
and content of the conversations change, so does the organi&ation.
At its core then, communication is a relational, participative and reflexive "rocess of two #or
more% "eo"le interacting with each other. It is not a linear activity, in which one "erson encodes a
message and sends it to a reci"ient to be decoded #!noise willing!% in a "redictable, matteroffact
sort of way.
(rom this "ers"ective, the centre of gravity of leadershi" communication needs to shift from
formal, structured message "assing to )oint sense making and relationshi" building #see
Leadership communication in organizational change%. 'his "oint is echoed strongly by Drucker
in the *four fundamentals of communication* that he sets out in his book Technology,
Management and Society. 'he cha"ter is based on a talk he originally gave in +,-,, and
the "oints he made are summari&ed below.
Communication is perception
Although there are hints of the senderreceiver model of communication in some of Drucker!s
language, he im"licitly #and later e$"licitly% recogni&es that communication is a relationshi" that
re.uires mutual "artici"ation. /is focus here is on what he calls the *"erci"ient* of another!s
communication, rather than on the )oint communication of "eo"le in interaction. 0ut, that a"art,
the "oints he makes are e.ually valid. In "articular1
Perce"tion is not logic, it is e$"erience. 0y this he means that what one "erceives is
always "art of a bigger "icture *a configuration*, as he calls it rather than a series of
isolated s"ecifics.
'he s"oken language cannot be se"arated from gestures, tone of voice and the conte$t set
by, for e$am"le, the environment and the cultural backcloth. *In fact,* he says, *without
them, the s"oken word has no meaning and cannot communicate.*
Peo"le can only "erceive what they are ca"able of "erceiving in the light of their
e$"erience1 *'here is no "ossibility of communication ... unless we first know what the
reci"ient, the true communicator, can see and why.*
Communication is expectations
*2e "erceive, as a rule, what we e$"ect to "erceive. 2e see what we e$"ect to see, and
we hear largely what we e$"ect to hear ... the une$"ected is usually not received at all ...
seen or heard but ignored ... misseen as the e$"ected.*
'he mind attem"ts to fit im"ressions and stimuli into a frame of e$"ectations.
3nly if we seek to understand what others e$"ect to hear, can we know whether
communication *can utili&e his e$"ectations and what they are or whether there is a
need for the !shock of alienation! ...* to break this tendency for "erce"tion to continue in
line with current e$"ectations.
Communication is involvement
4ommunication always makes demands on "eo"le, re.uiring them to *become somebody,
do something, believe something.*
4ommunication is most "owerful if it fits in to the reci"ient!s as"irations, values and
"ur"oses.
'here is no communication, in any meaningful sense, unless the message a""eals at
least "artially to the reci"ient!s motivations and values.
Communication and information are different and largely opposite - yet interdependent
4ommunication is "erce"tion whereas information is logic. 'hat is, information is
*"urely formal and has no meaning.*
4ommunication is inter"ersonal whereas information is im"ersonal. Information becomes
increasingly informative and more reliable the freer it is of emotions, values, e$"ectations
and "erce"tions.
In communicating, we "erceive a configuration of stimuli, whereas information is always
s"ecific. *Information is, above all, a "rinci"le of economy* the fewer the data, the
better the information.
*An overload of information ... does not enrich, but im"overishes.*
Information presupposes communication. (or information to be !received! and used, there
must be some "rior agreement around meaning, that is, some communication.
'he more levels of meaning a communication has, and the less .uantifiable it therefore is,
the better it communicates.
*4ommunications ... may not be de"endent on information. Indeed, the most "erfect
communications may be "urely shared e$"eriences, without any logic whatever.
Perce"tion has "rimacy rather than information.*
Communicative interaction
5adly, the senderreceiver model still informs the bulk of !internal communication! activity in
organi&ations. Drucker!s im"licit recognition that communication is not like this and that it is a
mutual "rocess of "eo"le in relationshi" is made e$"licit in his final "aragra"h1
*'here will be no communication ... if it is conceived as going from the !I! to the !thou!.
4ommunication only works from one member of !us! to another. 4ommunications in organi&ation
and this may be the true lesson of our communications failure and the true measure of our
communications need are not a means of organi&ation. 'hey are a mode of organi&ation.*
'his view of communication sees it as a fundamental as"ect of organi&ation. As sitting at its
core. It does not look at it sim"ly as a way of dealing with other, notionally more im"ortant
as"ects of organi&ation. As such, although Drucker talks in terms of *fromto* rather than
*between*, his comments sit fours.uare with those "ers"ectives #such as informal
coalitions%, which see organi&ations as com"le$ social #or res"onsive% "rocesses.
FUNDA!NTA"# $F C$UN%CAT%$N
4ommunication is the glue that enables "eo"le to work together to accom"lish results. It is also
sub)ect to inevitable breakdowns, and these breakdowns can create chaos, ham"er timelines, and
generate ill will between "eo"le.
&e can help your employees learn ho' to communicate to generate action rather than
cause (reakdo'ns) These are skills most of us never really learned* and are simple tools
that can make a (ig difference in ho' things get done)
Pur"ose1
'his set of "rograms strengthens fundamental communication skills needed to work with others
effectively. It is suitable for anyone, but highly recommended for managers and su"ervisors who
must work through and with others on a daily basis.
5tructure1
A modular "rogram of mi$ and match to"ics all designed to hel" "eo"le be as s"ecific and
thorough in their communication as "ossible. 'hese modules are four hours in length which
make them easy to deliver to busy "eo"le. 'hey are worksho" based and "rovide lots of
o""ortunity to "ractice the tools.
*'he most im"ortant thing in communication is to
hear what isn!t being said.*
Peter Drucker
Princi"les of 5"eaking and 6istening
7ffective communication re.uires both a listener and a s"eaker who not only share words, but
also communicate meaning that both can understand. 3ften "eo"le walk away from a
conversation thinking they know what was said and find out later that they really did not have
the same understanding. 'his module addresses the critical skills of listening and s"eaking
effectively.
4ommunicating for 8esults
Part of building shared understanding is "roviding the "ro"er conte$t, background, and s"ecific
"oints in a com"rehensive way. 5ki""ing over "oints leads to misunderstandings, breakdowns,
and "erha"s flared tem"ers. 4ommunicating for 8esults teaches how to cover all the bases when
communicating.
9enerating 4ommitment
7ngaging others in working together to accom"lish results is what makes for good teamwork.
'he bottom line in engagement is commitment. 2ithout commitment, "eo"le don:t get things
done. 'his class teaches how to generate commitment from others.
0uilding Agreement
A lot of the communication that occurs in the work"lace has to do with com"leting work on time
and to s"ecification. 0ut many "eo"le do not know how to make clear, s"ecific re.uests and
assure that work is followed u" and com"leted as agreed. Partici"ants learn about making
re.uests, "romises, and fulfilling agreements.
6anguage of Accountability
Accountability is essential inside organi&ations. If you can:t count on "eo"le to do what they say,
then nothing works. 0ut there is a way to build accountability that ensures success, and that is
taught in the module.
Managing 0reakdowns
'he "roblem is not that there are breakdowns in communication. 2henever "eo"le are involved,
breakdowns will ha""en. 'he real challenge is using breakdowns to renew commitment,
agreement, and action to move things forward. In this class, "artici"ants learn how to manage a
breakdown so it "romotes movement rather than derailment.
4onflict Management
Many "eo"le hate conflict because it often involves intense emotions and fuels "roblems rather
than resolves them. 3ften the missing ingredient is being able to confront difficulties and find
alternative solutions without emotional charge. 4onflict Management offers a new way of
working with the differences in o"inion, disa""ointment, and frustration we have with one
another.
9enerating Possibility
4reativity is a very im"ortant ingredient to business success. In a fast moving, com"etitive
market environment, organi&ations must come u" with new ideas for "roducts and services all
the time. ;nfortunately, grou"s of "eo"le often kill the creative s"irit rather than foster
"ossibility. 'his class hel"s "eo"le create a s"ace of "ossibility in their conversations.
<our com"any does not have to s"end wasted
hours on "oor communication.
'ake a "roactive ste", and give your "eo"le the tools to be as effective as "ossible when
working together. It will save time, money, and hassle= 4all us now to assist you in this im"ortant
area.