We use communication all the time in a business context and are frequently reminded of its importance to organisational and personal success. Casting a vision for the organisation – communication, need to manage someone’s performance – communication, developing someone’s skills – communication. Okay, point taken, so we go ahead and ‘communicate’ the message by sending out a vision statement, holding a performance meeting or running a training seminar. Job done, right? Wrong. Communicating a message once is not enough to effect the change you seek, but why?
Considering we tend to only remember approximately 10% of what we read and 20% of what we hear[1], it is no surprise that a message needs to be communicated more than once to be effective. The only way our messages can actually be retained and start effecting change is if they are communicated again, again and again. According to the rule of three, a person only really hears something if it’s been said three times[2]. A mentor of mine once explained it to me by saying “first you tell them what you’re going to tell them, then you tell them, and then you tell them what you told them.”
Improving skills requires even more repetition, as a person needs to practice that skill seven times in order to master it. This being the case, one cannot expect employees to become proficient in skills they have recently been trained in unless they are provided with opportunities to practice those skills.
So while communication is important, what’s more important is the ongoing repetition of that communication. If you don’t keep communicating it, your message will simply get lost in amongst the white noise and nothing will ‘catch-on’ or improve. So say it, say it again, and then say it some more!
Guest Writer: Jolisa Rabo, HR Officer, Avondale College of Higher Education
[1] Rigg, cited in Kroehnert, G (1990) Basic Training for Trainers. McGraw-Hill, Sydney, p. 151.
[2] Berman, cited in Westover, J. (2009). Lifelong Learning: Effective Adult Learning Strategies and Implementation for Working Professionals. The International Journal of Learning, 16(1), 435-443.