The stress of new and resulting misunderstanding
By Alexander Ivan
Have you ever found it challenging to communicate your thoughts? Let’s find out why this may be happening.
When establishing a collaboration, it would be best to learn how the other party thinks.
You are both engaged and curious about how it will go.
Then you start to discuss, and the more you discuss, the more you part ways. Frustration rises. You’re right, and the others don’t understand you. Conceptually and logically, what you say makes sense, so why are they so reluctant? The same goes for the other side.
So what happened? What do we want to do?
As a basic communication principle, you must first listen and understand the other side. Show respect and invest time in matching your vocabularies and understanding the meaning of the words you use based on your and their experiences. Once you understand the other party, you can begin to discuss your solution and how to work together. Only then do you know the motives behind the words and why there is such a misalignment? Ultimately, the meanings of what you and their said make sense to both of you.
When your vocabulary and the meaning of the words align, you are ready to find a solution.
At this point, discussing your needs is productive. Doing your homework and investing the time to get their issues out before any frustration or misunderstanding demonstrates genuine interest, reveals motives, and brings you to a point where the other party will listen to you.