Getting the message across: content vs. context
rationalizing his premises because he couldn’t go with the “hyped assumptions” of Mr. B, another partner who was wellrespected in his industry both here and abroad. Personally affronted, Mr. B joined the email thread, citing his extensive professional experience and completed projects, concluding with an emotional decision to quit the project—a disastrous turn considering Mr. B’s key role in it. The situation fomented, unraveling past tangential issues between Mr. A and Mr. B, which have unfortunately colored the current problem. All in all, it took online and offline efforts from the senior partners over two weeks to broker peace in order to save the project—a close call that potentially held huge emotional, professional and financial costs. Even if the event had not been so dramatic, it is helpful for us to remember the importance of content and context in relating with others to improve our chances of relational and business success. Context is the meaning we give to the words, or how we interpret them based on our personality, upbringing, learning, and experience. If we don’t understand the current context we’re in, the words we say and all attendant actions will be ineffectual; at worst, they can do more damage.
The archetypal example of this is the you’re the communication breakdown between parents and teenagers, where some parents argue based on their own past and upbringing as the sole standard of measure, while their teenagers act and communicate at the level of their young needs and modern environment.
In business, verbalizing repeatedly about a goal or vision to a low-morale work force, who find no meaning in their work and share no empathy or shared understanding with management, will probably get you nowhere. In fund raising, if you don’t know the potential investor’s particular industry preferences, past funding history and pivotal influences for decision-making, your chance of success will be reduced to the probability of winning a lottery ticket.
Given, however, that individual needs and wants are varied and dynamic on the one hand and we have objectives that we need to accomplish through other people on the other, it is obligatory for us to provide sufficient context so that our intended message will be received favorably.
It is not enough to research your content so thoroughly beforehand and say things “as it is” without understanding your audience’ nature and background. Even if we do know the people we’re talking to, you can effectively communicate when we preface our actual objective or need that need to be said with statements that make the other party more relaxed and connected, and therefore, more receptive to what you have to say.
Opening chitchat that hones in on your audience’ interests and cements a connection between you increases receptivity is productive. It also gives you a feel of the other party’s current well being and situation, providing a crucial backdrop to help you determine in how to present and steer the discussion. At times, letting the other party talk more at the onset, specially if they are the type who does, is more helpful in helping you discern this. It is not an accident that some truly successful business people tend to say less initially relative to other members of the group. They learn more of the other and the situation by listening. When they do speak, the words are often well chosen and thought-of. Other times, it takes wisdom to wait and let the situation develop more favorably before pushing an issue.
In one of our conversations to solve the issue mentioned in the beginning, Mr. A opined on his stand that he doesn’t want to dwell on the vagaries of human nature, preferring to state facts “as they are”. Gifted with prodigious abilities that create exceptional highlevel work for different industries, Mr. A is fortunately surrounded by complementary colleagues, who ably navigate the relational pitfalls. Not all of us, however, are as blessed as Mr. A. For most of us, we should keep in mind Thomas Leonard’s helpful dictum: “Take responsibility not only for what you say, but also for how people hear you.” Evangeline Navarro is a serial entrepreneur and investor, a finance teacher; and a student at heart on how money and resources affect people. She can be contacted at evangeline. navarro@gmail.com.