My favorite quote on the topic of communication is by George Bernard Shaw, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”
I’m assuming we’ve all experienced misunderstanding what has been communicated to us and what we’ve tried to communicate to others. Here’s an amusing example of how easily this happens. A cooking instructor told her students to toss the apples in the bowl with brown sugar and butter. Imagine her frustration when the students took several steps back and began tossing apples into a bowl as if they were playing a carnival game.
I believe it’s the facilitator’s role to help minimize the misunderstandings. When a participant shares a thought, it’s wise to ask a follow up question or simply encourage the participant to “tell us more”. As the participant is encouraged to expound on her idea, that additional detail helps others better understand.
What seems obvious to one person is not so obvious to others. We all have our own frame of reference or lens that we see the world through and that may cause us to omit details of our ideas or use phrases that others don’t understand. Don’t assume that other participants will admit they don’t understand an idea that has been shared because none of us like admitting we don’t understand something that we think others do; therefore, the facilitator needs to take that responsibility.
As a facilitator, you’re working to clarify and give the idea the help it may need to be understood by others. Until next time, happy apple tossing!