RETAIL BY DESIGN
by: TERRY WATERHOUSE
Terry Waterhouse has been the Director of
multidisciplinary design consultancy Red Goodss
Ltd. for 14 years. After the merger of Diadem--a
design and project management company and
Redgoodss, Terry has been the Director for
Diadem’s Hong Kong/Asian office.
“Words are the source of misunderstandings.” by Antoine
de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
In the world of business, it is important to provide concise & clear directives to
your business partners, suppliers, consultants and customers.
It may sound easy to do, but in reality it is quite complex, especially in an
office or project environment with mixed cultures, different languages and
perspectives on the message.
We cannot afford for people to make assumptions on your behalf and we need
to be sure that the instructions we give are simple, clear, concise and on-point.
1. Don’t assume they know what you mean
You know what they say, that assumption is the mother of all mistakes! Don’t
be the fool that assumes people know what you mean. Whilst most people
in your office or business will be intuitive and switched on, they are not mind
readers. This can be for anything from industry acronyms to who to contact in
different departments or organizations. It will only take you a few seconds more
to explain the details.
Where possible if the instruction can be supported by a visual example such as
a sketch or diagram to help the recipient have a picture of what you mean. The
recipient isn’t telepathic nor can read your mind.
2. Be clear and specific
Everyone loves a waffle (dripping in maple syrup please) but no one likes waffle
in conversation and especially not in an email or when it is a set of instructions.
Whilst you don’t want to ramble on in your set of instructions (that would be
a waste of your time and to be honest, they’d switch off after a while) you do
want to ensure that your instructions are clear, specific and concise. Personally
I prefer not to butter it up, and would rather get straight to be the point. I often
find it helpful to bullet points as it reduces the temptation to waffle on and it
helps your instructions and actions be more focused.
Why is Concise, Clear &
Effective Communication
Important
Some effects of working to false assumptions are:
- Wasted effort.
- Inhibited performance
- Unexpected differences, delays, or failure
- Unsolved problems and obstructed improvements
If you are on the receiving end, here are some tips on how to
get the right message, and get the job done correctly:
Always check your understanding of the purpose. Guard
against the tendency to assume that another person’s the
same view as your own.
Examine the criteria. Are any of these instructions inconsistent
with what we are really trying to do?
Scrutinize the information. Are there expectations,
hitherto reasonable, but dubious now because of changed
circumstances? Any assertions that will have a big impact on
what we decide to do should be confirmed.
Reflect on what is to be done. Does this follow from reliable
information? Is it influenced by any unspoken assumption?
Review the plans. If based deliberately on certain assumptions
is there also a contingency plan? Take steps to see that plans
are understood by those who will implement them.
3. Give time frames 6. Set boundaries
Do not confuse matters by not being specific with your time frames and
deadlines. What you consider as “soon” might be very different from your
colleagues. If you think “soon” is the next couple of hours, yet your staff who
you have instructed considered it to be in a few days then this communication
is going to have serious implications in any business or project! Be specific with
the deadlines you are working on. Personally I am not one for micro managing and because of this I am not one
for people to keep checking in with me whether they should do something or
not. Once a task is set, the instructions should be clear enough that further
confirmation and clarification is not needed (however saying this it is obviously
best to seek clarification if unsure!) If this rings true with you, then you need
to make sure that your instructions are clear so that they are certain with what
they are doing and don’t feel the need to keep coming back with questions.
4. Give examples
This will be especially beneficial if the idea is new or they are new to the role,
or if they haven’t carried out the task before. This will help add clarity to you
instructions and help form a clearer picture of what you mean and want.
5. Give alternatives
When delivering your instructions, it is worth considering giving some
alternatives just in case your preferred option of instruction is not viable
or available. By giving alternatives, you are empowering your staff and the
recipient to get the job done with minimal fuss and constant checking back in
with yourself. By setting alternatives they don’t have to keep coming back to
you. After all, it won’t save you time if you have to keep responding to queries.
7. Get clarification
It wouldn’t hurt to seek clarification from them to ensure that they understood
what the task is and what is expected. You could simply ask at the end if there
are any questions, but the one issue with that is that it is all too easy to just
simply say “no”. Either they might think they understood or they might be
too shy to ask! Perhaps ask them to recap on what is required, or what the
priorities/objectives are so that you can ensure what you’ve said is what’s been
heard!
Few people wish to work from unreliable information, yet this is the risk when
assumptions are made. The risk may be negotiable when something is taken
for granted on the basis of long and reliable experience. The risk increases with
assumptions made on meagre evidence or with disregarded for the facts.
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