1. Overview

      Communication scholar, W. Charles Redding, identifies four myths that can keep a manager from communicating effectively.  They are:

·        The Back-Burner Myth

·        The Quick Fix Myth

·        The More Is Better Myth

·        The Conveyor Belt Myth

There is another myth that Redding did not mention, but one that needs to be examined in our discussion of the myths and realities of managerial communication:

·        The Visibility Myth

      Our beliefs influence our behavior.  Perception is our reality and our myths help to create our perceptions.  Louis Barnes, writing in the Harvard project/programme purpose Review, stated that:

“Like all people, managers behave according to their assumptions of how the world works.”

      We can certainly add that how the world works is heavily influenced by the messages we send about it; that is, how we communicate.  While not all assumptions are myths, when left unchecked, they become mythologized.  In isolation a given assumption or myth may not cause harm.

      When several myths are combined in interlocking set we create a dangerous situation.  Assumptions become myths if inflexibly applied as universal truths. Thus, our myths inform our behavior.

2. The Back Burner Myth

      The Back-Burner Myth is the feeling that communication will take care of itself and that it can be put on “the back burner” as long as functional duties are attended to.

      This is where a manager says: “My communication behavior will take care of itself.  As long as I do a good job of managing, I can pretty well just forget about communication—it is something I can put on the back burner.”

This myth is a belief that we do not need to be concerned about our communication behavior, rather that it will take care of itself. 

      A surprisingly large number of managers subscribe to this myth.  They reject the notion that the skill in communicating with people is just as essential as expertise in finance, marketing, engineering, operations, accounting, and so forth.

      A manager may feel that communication important, but it is something that has been learned in the process of living.  After all, we don’t pay attention to how we walk or need to learn to walk better.  That’s something we learned to do when growing up.  The same is true of communicating.

      Therefore, many managers believe that there is no need to put time and effort into improving communication effectiveness—it can be relegated to the Back Burner.

The reality is that communication is far too important to be overlooked or minimized.  We must focus on our communication and work on its success just as we would any other aspect of our job.  We cannot be effective on our jobs unless we are effective communicators.

3. The Back Burner Myth (Continued)

As we have seen, around 80% of a manager’s time is spent communicating and only about 20% doing other things.  It means that we need to pay attention to listening because it encompasses that much of our jobs.

      Herman Wouk, in his epic novel, The Winds of War points out the following example from World War II:  The Japanese sent scout plane to survey the site that became the battle of Midway.  The pilot reported back: “I see some ships.”  The Japanese Admiral did not think his airplanes were in danger, so he had his planes refuel.  Although the pilot did convey that he saw ships, he did not relay the type of ships they were—aircraft carriers.  American planes were able to attack the Japanese ships while their planes were being refueled and, thus, were vulnerable.  The Japanese lost battle, so the United States did not have to divert forces from Europe to the Pacific.  The nature of World War II and perhaps history changed because of a failure to communicate effectively.

      Peter Drucker, one of the leading figures in the study of management, also stressed this reality:

“Your success [in an organization] . . . and I am talking of much more than getting promoted—will depend on your ability to communicate with people and to present your own thoughts and ideas to them so they will understand what you are driving at and be persuaded . . . This ability to express oneself is perhaps the most important of skills a [person] can possess.”

4. The Quick Fix Myth

      The Quick Fix Myth is the belief that that somewhere there is a magic formula for effective com­munica­tion and all that is needed for a manager to be a good communicator is to find that secret.  It is the opposite of the Back Burner Myth and has us believing that there is some quick, easy remedy to our communication difficulties. 

      This myth is the flip side of first myth.  There the manager sees communication as unimportant.  Here the manager sees communication as magic.  All a manager has to do to become an effective communicator is learn the “secrets.”

      Armed with these tricks, the manager will control the communication magic at once.  There are a spate of popular books and easy remedy courses to learn the how-to of "immediate" mastery of communication.  One book promised it would enable the manager: “to learn in just one hour the secret of how to command and dominate everyone you meet—right in the palm of your hand you hold the power to get your way with others every time.”  Another offered: “a thrilling new concept of psychological judo, that shows you how to win people over to your point of view, no matter how antagonistic they have been to it before.”

      This myth assumes that adults can turn around a lifetime of habits and behaviors in a matter of minutes or hours.  It assumes that locked away in some secret cabinet are the magical communication techniques that absolutely guarantee success—if only someone will show you where and give you the key.  There are people who are willing to give you the key, “if you pay the price.”  And there is a price to pay—time, effort, money, hurt feelings, and poor communication and work relationships.

5. The Quick Fix Myth (Continued)

      The most dangerous assumption of this myth—as illustrated by the popular books and easy remedies—is the definition of success.  Success is invariably measured by extent to which one person can dominate others:

·        There is no room for acceptance of integrity of other people.

·        There is no room for open-minded exchange of ideas.

·        There is no room for discussion.

·        There is no room for concern or caring.

      Would you want a boss trained to think this way?

      The reality is that good communication takes a great deal of hard work and effort.  We must focus on our audience and make sure that they understand our messages.

      The reality is that communication, especially in volatile world of organizational manager, is much too complicated to permit accepting a list of simple cookbook recipes as reliable guides for action.

·        There is no secret.

·        There is no magic.

·        There are no “10 handy-dandy” communication techniques that will make you the world's greatest manager overnight.

      The reality is that if there is one overriding principle of communication (principle not technique), it is that as a communicator you must adapt to the specific audience in the specific situation.  That is not saying what your audience wants to hear, but rather framing your message is such a way that it can be understood in the most effective fashion.

6. The More Is Better Myth

The More is Better Myth is the belief that more communication is always better.  It is a belief that the more communication we throw at a problem, the better we are able to deal with that problem.  This myth fosters the feeling that more information is always better and that more communication is always better.  In other words you can always solve a problem with more communication. 

A quick look at some of the conflicts around the world today, including the Middle East, the Balkans, South Asia’s India-Pakistan disputes, and even the war on terrorism tell us that not all problems can necessarily be solved with more communication.

            One consequence of this myth is information overload.  Information overload occurs when a person or system receives information or messages at a faster rate than they can be processed.  As input increases, output also increases up to a point, but when input is too great, breakdown occurs.  As tension within the individual builds, errors in processing information and messages increase.  When information input is too great, breakdowns start to occur and tension builds within any individual.  As this tension increases, errors in processing the information and message we are receiving begin to increase more and more.  We overlook things, make mistakes, misinterpret messages, and so forth.

      Another consequence of this myth is that we focus on quantity, not quality of our communication.  We think that just because we say something frequently, we have communicated effectively.  We don’t have to be concerned with how well or effectively we say something, just the fact that we have said it.

7. The More Is Better Myth (Continued)

This myth also causes us to focus on talking, not listening, which is critical for effective communication.  Listening is a major part of a manager’s life.  Professional people spend approximately 80% of their time on the job communicating and only around 20% engaged in other activities.  That means that close to half of the time we spend communicating is spent listening. 

The reality is that we must be aware of message overload and should also focus on the quality of our communication, not simply the quantity.  Having too much information can cause us to make mistakes and errors in our work.  The tension we feel when confronted with information overload makes us less productive and might even lead to illness. 

We need to focus on the effectiveness of our messages, not just the fact that we have said something.  Most of us have heard someone say: “I told you five times how to do that task.  Why couldn’t you get it right?”  It is not how many times we tell someone something that makes us an effective communicator, but how well we tell them—utilizing feedback and good listening skills.

The reality is that active, effective listening can help you better deal with information overload, minimize message distortion, lead to better quality problem solving and decision making, manage your time better, and also lead to better relationships—at work at with friends.

      Listening shows that you value employees and their opinions. When your employees see that their advice and opinions are taken into account, they are further encouraged to share and often feel motivated to innovate and contribute in ways that they may not have otherwise.