Communication Skills in the Office Can Mean the Difference Between Failure and Success

Make sure they hear—and fully understand—what you're really saying

The key to being an effective manager is making sure your staff not only hears what you say, but clearly understands the message, too. Biba Kayewich

It was once common for military commanders to use runners to deliver questions or a change in tactics to other units. The wise officer had this messenger repeat back his instructions to ensure that they arrived verbatim when delivered.

On my bookshelves are two collections of Civil War correspondence between commanders and their subordinates. Though written in that era’s more formal language, most of these dispatches clearly communicate their orders and suggestions. To issue garbled instructions, as sometimes happened, was to endanger the lives of thousands of soldiers and risk losing a battle.