Communication Can Be Tough
Recently I sat in a meeting with 6 other
people. We were all adults of slightly
different ages, both genders were represented and English was our first
language.
Everyone had their say whilst all others
listened. Sometimes it got a little
heated, but in a healthy, clear the air sort of way. The chair of the meeting summarised each point
and clarified understanding. We all
left the meeting with transparent objectives, a few relevant tasks to complete
and a feeling of satisfaction that it went so well.
A week later the chair spoke to one of the
attendees on the phone. The call was
interspersed with “you said blah”, “no I didn’t I said blah blah”, “no way, we
all sat there and heard you say it”. The
conversation abruptly ended and more phone calls followed with the other
members who all claimed to have heard something different again. Objectives and tasks were abandoned and
everyone was left in limbo.
How could this happen?
