It's Not What You Say

Editor's Notebook

Tom Lehrer, the famous (or infamous depending on your point of view) American singer-songwriter, satirist, pianist, and mathematician once said, "I wish people who have trouble communicating would just shut up." Although not diplomatically phrased, I'm sure most of us have had similar thoughts on occasion.

In a similar vein, Edward R. Murrow commented, "People say conversation is a lost art; how often I have wished it were," and Robert Greenleaf stated, "Many attempts to communicate are nullified by saying too much." Frank R. Pierson summed up the issue when he said, "What we've got here is a failure to communicate."

Clearly, poor communication is a widely acknowledged problem. In fact, a simple search for "communication quotations" on the Internet instantly produced more than 7,900 hits and "improving communications" more than 1.3 million hits!

The dictionary on MSN Encarta lists "exchange of information; the exchange of information between individuals, for example, by means of speaking, writing, or using a common system of signs or behavior" as its first definition and later adds "rapport; a sense of mutual understanding and sympathy" as its fourth definition.

By the age of two, most humans have begun to communicate, using locally accepted words and/or symbols. Barbara Lust, a developmental cognitive psycholinguist who is co-director of Cornell's interdisciplinary cognitive studies program, has conducted research that indicates human babies are born to grasp the complex rules of word order and sentence structure in any language. If we're born with the innate ability to communicate, why do we find it so challenging to share information, ideas, experiences, feelings, etc.?

This quarter's issue of The Journal for Quality and Participation focuses on the challenges of effective communication in modern organizations and offers some suggestions for improvement. You have no doubt heard the adage, "It's not what you say; it's how you say it," but as you read this issue, you'll learn that it's also when you say it and when you choose not to say it, as well as what channel you use for the communication.

For instance, Jamie Walters describes five skills that are required to foster a culture of deep inquiry and listening in your organization -not one of superficial talking, dysfunctional interactions, and constant misunderstandings.

Kenny Moore, one of our most popular authors and a recent keynote speaker at the World Conference on Quality and Improvement, shares how the monastic practice of staying silent for long periods of time actually can be used as a management tool for encouraging the exchange of ideas.

The value of and issues associated with e-mail are explored by Sue Hershkowitz-Coore, a past officer of the National Speakers Association. You can decide whether the messages you receive on your computer are "toxic or terrific" and learn how to make sure the messages you send fit into the latter category.

In addition to several other articles that demonstrate processes and tools for facilitating meaningful communication, this issue also contains our annual update on the International Team Excellence Award competition, including a case study that delineates the project of this year's winning team from Baxter International Inc.

We hope you'll find the information in this issue beneficial and that you'll take a moment to let us know what you think of the suggestions provided.

Deborah Hopen

Editor

Copyright Association for Quality and Participation Summer 2005
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