Your boss comes up to you and says, "I need twenty two inch boards." What are you going to get for him twenty boards that are two inches wide, twenty-two boards that are an inch wide, or some unspecified number of boards that are twenty-two inches wide? But wait maybe the length rather than the width should be two inches, or one inch, or twenty-two inches. Because of poor communication, there is a good chance that, on the first try, the boss will not get the boards he wanted.

This is an extreme example of what can happen in the workplace when communication is not effective. Many of us have seen some interesting and unexpected results come out of instructions we have given our employees. In most cases, this was the result of failure to clearly communicate what we expected.

The three basic elements of communication are a message, someone to send the message, and someone to receive the message. If, however, the message that the sender intended to send is not the same message received by the person to whom it was sent, then the communication is not effective.

Communication is made effective through precision and clarity. Precision means saying exactly what we intend to say. Clarity means saying it in such a way that it will be easily understood. Because of the importance of communication in the workplace, managers and supervisors need to recognize the following barriers to effective communication and develop skills to control them.

Unfamiliar Words: Vocabulary can be a barrier to communication. Sometimes, it makes us feel good to show off our mastery of the English language by using big words. If, however, the person with whom we are communicating does not understand the meaning of these words, communication breaks down. While we should never "talk down" to our employees, it is important that we communicate using words with which they are familiar. This will help ensure clarity in our communication.

The other side of this barrier is using words with which we may not be familiar. I am sure that some us have, at one time or another, used a word that "sounded right" but did not mean what we thought it meant. This not only can be embarrassing, but might also produce some strange results. Staying within the limits of our own vocabulary is important if our communication is to be precise.

When it comes to choice of words in our communication, a good rule to follow was one I recently saw on a bumper sticker "Eschew Obfuscation." Look it up. I had to.

Vague Words and Phrases: These are words and phrases that have no precise meaning. They are subject to personal interpretation with two people rarely having the same interpretation. For example, the boss who says she wants something "as soon as possible" maybe expecting it to be ready by tomorrow morning. To the overloaded employee, "as soon as possible" might be in about four weeks after all those other projects he is working on are finished. The supervisor who wants five items of something but asks for "several" may wind up with fifteen or twenty depending on the employee's concept of several. In any situation where time or numbers are important, you need to give specific expectations rather use vague terms.

Discussing performance with employees is another area where vague terms can be a problem. Telling an employee that "she is doing a good job" will probably brighten her day but it really tells her nothing about why you feel that way. By specifically pointing out the areas where you feel her work excels, you give positive reinforcement and motivation to those areas. On the flip side, telling an employee that "he needs to improve" doesn't tell the employee what improvement you expect. If you discuss the specific areas of concern with the employee and set clearly stated expectations for improvement, you are far more likely to get the results you want.

Jargon: Every profession seems to have its jargon those unique words and phrases that are not understood by the general public. It may be in the form of acronyms or words that are used to describe specific equipment, procedures, or actions. While jargon can be a communication shorthand for those "in the know," it can be quite confusing for the outsider. Using jargon with the new employee often produces a blank look rather than an expected result.

For example, when I was working for the State, I attended a meeting shortly after I was hired that was attended by employees from various agencies. I asked one person where he worked and the reply was, "TDCA, LGAD, TA." At that point, I knew no more than before I asked the question, and I was seriously beginning to doubt my hearing. While using jargon is a convenient form of communication in the workplace, it should not be used to communicate with people who may not understand it.

Complex and Awkward Sentences: This is probably a bigger problem in written communication since we tend to speak more concisely than we write. All we have to do is look at any set of federal regulations to understand the confusion caused by long, complex, and awkward sentences. Using short sentences to express a single idea is significant to effective written communication.

Pronouns: Some interesting results and strange interpretations can occur when the antecedent of a pronoun is not clear. For example, consider the statement, "If the kitten will not drink the milk because it is too cold, put it in the microwave for a few seconds." Depending on how that sentence is interpreted, we will either wind up with some warmer milk or a cooked cat.

When the meaning could be in doubt, it is better to restate the noun rather than trying to use a pronoun. A better sentence would be, "If the kitten will not drink the milk because the milk is too cold, put the milk in the microwave for a few seconds."

Unintentional Messages: We often unintentionally influence or change the messages we send. Things such as tone of voice, body language, facial expression, inflection, and physical surroundings can either enhance or detract from the message we intend to send. By being aware of, and controlling, these unintentional message senders, we can reinforce our messages and have better communication with our employees.

Listening: For a supervisor, receiving communication from employees is as important as giving it. When a problem occurs, the people closest to it (usually the employees) are the ones most likely to recognize it early. They are also the ones who frequently come up with a workable solution. To utilize this information and expertise, we need to create an atmosphere in which upward communication is encouraged. To do so, we need to listen to our employees, respect their ideas, and give them credit when they help us solve a problem.

Communication skills, like other skills, are best developed through practice. As you communicate with those around you, think of how effectively you are using the techniques we have discussed. As these skills become part of your everyday communication process, you will be amazed at how others seem to have developed better skills in understanding.