For a week, I couldn’t call my wife Karalee. Couldn’t text her either. She couldn’t call or text me either. Our communication by phone completely broke down. Coordinating logistics in two busy lives became difficult. Having a chance to discuss emotional issues, like our daughter’s recent pneumonia had to wait until we were together.
When WhatsApp instantly hung up when I tried to call Karalee the penny finally dropped for me. Karalee had inadvertently asked her iPhone to block my phone. Kudos to Apple—phone blocking really works. It took us a week to figure this out.
In the business context, we often inadvertently get cut off. Consider these scenarios and possible solutions:
- A key contact at a customer site is not answering the phone. They have gone on holidays and did not record an out-of-office voice or email message. Solution: make sure that you have multiple customer contacts so that there is someone else you can call to find out what is going on.
- At team meetings, only a few people speak up. All voices need to be heard if you are going to make the best decisions. Solution: make sure that you know every person’s personality profile, organizing meetings and feedback so that the quiet voices can be heard.
- In your weekly 1-on-1 meetings with your team members, they end up feeling like they are not heard. Solution: ask open ended questions, making sure that you are listening to their responses, rather than judging or trying to fix what you are hearing.
There are many ways that communication breaks down. Make sure that you keeping the connection going.
Having trouble with your communication? Book a one-hour coaching call with me to discover more.
