George Bernard Shaw said, “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” Are you under a similar illusion? I have coached a lot of leaders who are frustrated that they are not being heard. I often hear leaders say, “I told them, so why don’t they get it?” The questions I usually ask include, “How many times did you tell them?” And, “How clear was the communication?” It has been proven that the message sent is not always the message received. But when our text messages say “delivered” after they go through, we fall victim to the illusion that communication happened. The metaphor of a mailbox is compelling for our communication — I can send a communiqué, but I cannot assume it will be received, opened, read, or understood.
