All you really want to do is get your point across and the person you are speaking to just isn’t getting it! Its SO frustrating, right! That’s the perception gap. When what you’re trying to say and communicate is just not being heard by your audience.
Who’s fault is it? Yours? Are you just not using the right words and strategies to communicate? Your audience’s? Are they just not listening to what you’re saying, are they distracted?
Chances are it’s a bit of both. Once the communication process begins to break down the gap can grow bigger and bigger and have some really negative consequences.
Check out this great article from the Huffington Post: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-loehr/why-communication-fails-a_b_5627692.html
The communication gap happens to everyone! I recall an exchange I had with a new assistant manager of our business. I was simply trying to explain how I wanted the cash outs from our cash registered totaled and accounted for. I had specific categories which matched my accounting books and it seemed very straight forward to me. She seemed to acknowledge what I was saying, she seemed to be following my instructions. Unfortunately, she had no idea what I was talking about and was feeling too overwhelmed to speak up. I wasn’t expressing my ideas clearly and in a manner that she could understand and she wasn’t speaking up to let me know she was confused. Classic communication fail! It took some time, and we both had to work hard and challenge ourselves to be see the situation from the other’s point of view, but after a few training sessions we got there. Interestingly enough, this experience improved our professional relationship.
Assignments for the Art of Human Communication 