Speaking a "common" language? 
by Denise Farrar, Communications and Fundraising Manager, CISV International
When we think about communicating, we often carefully consider our message, target audience, the best way to say it or send it – even the timing. But have we really done enough to make sure that we have communicated our message? Has the person receiving our message not only understood it, but are they ready to act on it in some way?
Good communications, whether they are international and electronic or talking with the person next to us, rely on mutual understanding and a fair amount of trust. When we have the barrier of language, good communications get more complicated. We can’t use ‘turns of phrase’ or idioms, or even humour, easily. What is obvious or funny to us may be unclear or just strange, perhaps even rude, to others. To make things even more complicated, we might be speaking or writing in our second language or addressing an audience of multiple languages.
Your organisation may have decided that English (or French or Spanish) is your operating language but that doesn’t mean everyone in your organisation (or your partners and clients) shares a common understanding of it. Are you really speaking the same language?
Saying something or sending an email does not mean that you have communicated; you may have been completely misunderstood. What is worse is, as a result, your message can be disregarded or ignored. How often have we heard people say, “no one told me about this” or, “I didn’t get that message”, when we know that they were told and they were given that message? In addition to the frustration this causes for all concerned, the time, effort, and cost of misunderstanding can be enormous.
Misunderstanding can often hide or increase communication problems that affect us all, even where language is no issue at all. Communication is a two-way process; many times the responsibility for good communications is placed solely with the person giving the message but there is also a responsibility on the person receiving the message to engage. Language issues are a further complication. It is a lot easier to ignore or disregard news that you would rather not hear or don’t agree with, if you can claim (fairly or unfairly) that you don’t understand it.
This leads to an often forgotten aspect of good communications – trust. It doesn’t matter how good that carefully crafted message is, if the person receiving it doesn’t trust what is being said to them – communication has failed. They have to trust the message and the person sending it to accept the message. Trust is also necessary to help them feel comfortable enough to respond, question, or challenge the message in an appropriate and constructive way. It is so much harder to build that trust when we are struggling to comprehend each other.
Clearly then, addressing miscommunication requires much more thought than whether a message is best shared in-person, by email or over social media. So, how can we close the communication gap and create a ‘common’ language? This is where our organisational values are critical; we may not share a language but we do – or can – share values. Carefully chosen, meaningful and lived values attract people and organisations to work for us and with us. Our values should guide the way we act, speak and deal with each other and our partner organisations and clients. If our values include words such as ‘respect’ and ‘diversity’, we should be living up to them in everything we do and say. They should guide our communications and provide a framework for a ‘common’ language. Easier said than done, of course, but it’s an effort none of us can afford not to make.
Values can only be shared if they truly reflect the people in your organisation and the way that you all aspire to work. Engaging your organisation in a review of, or re-commitment to, your values and how you put them into practice could be your next steps to creating mutual understanding and breaking down communication barriers.