The Art of Good Communication

Taking a leaf from Apple, Hsien Loong wrote in his Facebook exhorting his super talented colleagues to use simpler words when talking down to the people or the message may not get through. It is as simple as that. For Hsien Loong to say this, it must be something that his talented colleagues have been doing and resulting in miscommunication or poor communication of govt policies. They would not have so much problems with the CPF if they have said things in simple and clear words.
 
The honour of saying or speaking simply to the people must go to Lim Swee Say. He has coined many fabulous words and phrases that are uniquely Singaporean and very easy to undertand. The more frequent he uses his catchphrases the betterer he communicates.
 
In my view, communication is a very simple process involving two parties. One speaking and one listening. The one speaking must speak the language the listener can understand. But more crucial is the listener. Does he want to understand? Many failures in communication were not that the speakers spoke in bombastic languages or using high falutin words that no one understood. The words could be simple and easy to understand. The problem is that the listener refuses to listen, intentionally.
 
A good example is the phrase, ‘Return My CPF’ or ‘Return My CPF at 55’. Not simple enough? Any school children would also be able to understand. But the message is not getting across simply because the listeners refused to listen.
 
Has anyone heard of the philosophy of the deaf frog? It is not that the frog is deaf. The frog chooses to be deaf. In such a situation, no matter how simple one speaks, how simple the words are, nothing goes in, nothing heard, and no understanding.
 
How to communicate when the listener is not listening?

Kopi Level - Green