Most frequently, be your work life or even your personal life, it gets screwed up when we fail to understand the real perspective of the other person. And the result is that miss communication that is a cause of all the problems. As independent individuals of today’s World, rather than letting that ‘miss’ rule our World and ruin our happiness, next time we are in a issue or a problem, let us understand the root cause of it and resolve that ‘miss’ for our communication to be affective. For that, let us know what are the causes of ‘miss’ communication at work place and also the solution to resolve them. However, these causes and solutions can be inculcated even in solving the issues related to personal life as well;

Causes

•    People tend to make a lot of assumptions and ask fewer questions. In order to understand what is being asked of you, you must ask questions and have a clear understanding of what is being expected from you.

•    This one of the most prominent cause of misunderstandings at the workplace. Office romances are dangerous because they can lead to conflict within the company. Public displays of affection can make colleagues uncomfortable and accusations of favoritism may occur, especially if it is a supervisor-subordinate relationship.

•    Less cooperation or no cooperation at all between the management and the employees or between different employees can lead to miscommunication in the workplace.

•    Criticism and back-stabbing is very common to human nature. So experiencing this in office premises isn’t an exception. Employees are inclined to blame each other for things that go wrong and this leads to distrust and lack of confidence in others.

•    It is a very common belief that higher authorities are being more favorable towards certain employees. This can lead to misunderstandings and the urge to work may lessen among the many other sincere employees, as a direct consequence.

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These were just a few examples of what could cause misunderstandings in the workplace. Passive aggressive behavior, personality clashes, messages not being returned or answered promptly, etc., are some of the other causes for misunderstandings in the office.


Solutions

•    Every problem is due to lack of communication. A vague message or an unclear direction is one of the most common ways by which miscommunication can take place. Be crystal clear about your message. Don’t leave any room for interpretations because many times employees interpret things according to their convenience.

•    Ownership Of Responsibilities Through Self Actualization: Make the employees realize their value and potential. This way the staff won’t become negatively empowered but will become more confident and will also become more aware of their responsibilities.

•    This proves that you are open to different thoughts and ideas. Don’t ever confine the flow of thought by an insufficient amount of communication. Do not send across a message that whatever the opposite person says or believes will be judged and criticized.

•    Think of the perfect medium for sending across the message to the employees. A way in which the message reaches all and is understood by all is the best. Find out what medium suits your company most - Conference? Meeting? A generic mail? Or appointing a contact person who has a great rapport with employees and hence is good at communicating things? Once you have the ideal medium, there will be less chances of misunderstandings.

•    Always stick to the point. Do not beat around the bush and discuss topics that are not important. The message should be brief and clear. Not sticking to the point will create lot of confusion and thus will lead to miscommunication in the workplace.