How to Avoid Misunderstandings

Misunderstandings have long being at the heart of personal disasters and have destroyed many relationships.Speaking the same language does not guarantee that the other party will fully understand what we mean , what , how and why we do things the way we do.With life becoming busier and with the increasing volumes of information that we have to process each day, misunderstandings are bound to occur.


Some of the most common misunderstandings can come from lack of or insufficient information,'mixed messages' and from cultural, religious and background differences. Quite often misunderstandings come from the initial presumption that the other person knows what we mean and also from the subsequent expectation about a certain action or reaction from that person. Well, unless this other person has known you for years, there is no way that they can read your actions and the way you communicate your thoughts.


There are some simple rules that can help you to avoid misunderstandings:


1. Beware of your audience - the language and actions that we use to communicate our message can be interpreted differently , depending on who we present it to.If you are interacting with an audience from a specific cultural,religious or other background, make sure that you follow their customs, traditions and rules of communication and interaction.On a personal level, make sure that you find out more about the other, so that you know , based on that, how they might act/react.This can help you avoid false expectations and presumptions about what is right and wrong in a specific situation.


2. Read the situation and the environment- timing and context are of vital importance; if you fail to time your actions or verbal interactions with the context of the situation and the place, all you do can lose its effect, can aggravate the situation and in some instances can pose a physical threat to you.


3. Be precise and go straight to the point - beating around the bush and using long, complicated explanations, descriptions and arguments is something to be avoided.Being straightforward gives other people the comfort of knowing how to position themselves according to what you say and what you do. It also gives them a degree of predictability about how you would react to the way they would interact with you.Furthermore,this would give you an advantage in situations when you don't have enough time to get your idea across and will save you from the other party's lack of patience.


4. Ask for feedback and leave room for clarification - where possible, make sure that the other party has fully understood your message, actions , motivations or intentions. If you are presenting information or you are engaged in negotiations , ensure that there is the possibility to clarify and further define terms and aspects of the issues under consideration.


With good communication many unpleasant situations can be avoided. We are still living in an age when we rely on verbal and written expression , so do not rely on other people reading your mind and create false expectations based on your idea about how something is supposed to happen or how someone is supposed to act/react; everything is subjective and relies on various circumstances.