Open and Honest Communication

by Andrew Bryant
Director of Self Leadership International

I have conducted a number of trainings recently where we discussed the lack of open and honest communication in the workplace and it never ceases to amaze me how much fear and misunderstanding there is about being open about what you think and feel.

Consider this; in the absence of open and honest communication you are likely to observe evidence of tension, conflict, passive resistance, defensiveness, blaming, and disengagement - and all this leads to reduced productivity not to mention an unhappy workplace.

With all the unpleasant symptoms that I have mentioned, why is it that people do not communicate openly? A few reasons cited include:

1. We don't want to hurt their feelings. They won't be receptive. It will put our friendship at risk. We will be open to retaliation or counterattack. There's nothing in it for us. Nothing will change anyway.
2. It's not our culture.

With a little training or coaching it is possible to counter any of these so called 'reasons' and create a culture where open and honest communication is the norm rather than the exception.

When you communicate using "I" statements (i.e. avoiding using "You") and stick to the facts and how you feel, it is possible to be open without hurting people's feelings. People can't be receptive unless you try but it is a good idea to time your communication for when people are the least stressed.

Friendships are built on open and honest communication and when people know where you are coming from there is no need for retaliation.

When we communicate openly and honestly we walk in integrity and build our own self-esteem; in my book that is certainly something worth having because things absolutely do change when we communicate.

And finally culture is a dynamic thing and is created by people - so choose to create a culture of open and honest communication and reap the benefits.

Some Communication Tips

For communicating openly and honestly, remember the 3F's.
Facts - "What I observed was..."
Feelings - "How I feel about this is..."
Future - "What I would like to see in the future is... because ..."

We have a number of communication workshops coming up including 'Presenting Powerfully' with Sandy Kaye and 'Communication Excellence' with myself, or your can contact us regarding in-house programs in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and South Africa.

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