ELIMINATE BIAS

• Never make a decision before knowing the facts
• Acknowledge that you are usually working with incomplete data

CONTROL YOUR FEELINGS

• Present your ideas logically, rather than emotionally
• Remember that others may have strong feelings about the subject

WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE

• People respond differently to the same words, especially if they are general or vague

So now that we know people interpret things differently, let’s look at ways to overcome these barriers

   1.Eliminate bias

   1.Don’t make decisions without knowing the facts

   2.Acknowledge that you usually don’t know all the facts

2.Control your feelings

    1.Present ideas logically, as opposed to emotionally

    2.Don’t forget that the other person may also have strong feelings about the         subject

   3.This may be hard to do, and often takes practice but will make your                   interactions more successful

3.Watch your language

    1.As we just saw, people interpret things different

    2.May respond to language differently

   3.Vague or general words should be avoided

ENSURE UNDERSTANDING

• When speaking to someone, monitor their reactions to confirm you are being understood
• If you are not understood, step back and find a different way to express your idea

INCORPORATE FEEDBACK

• Take feedback and consider it
• May need to go away to regroup, using the new information received

SENDER VERSUS RECEIVER

Remember that as the sender you’ve had time to consider the topic, however the receiver might not have

 1.Ensuring understanding

   1.Key to make sure the other person understand you

   2.If you’re not understood, need to find another way to explain your point –  repeating it will likely not make the person understand

2. Incorporate feedback

 1.May need to go away think about the new facts/information received and then        come back again later for a second conversation.  This is one of the biggest           mistakes people make. You may be too focused on achieving your purpose that       you are dismissive of input you receive during the interaction

3. Sender vs. receiver

  1.As the sender, you’ve usually had time to think through the topic, the receiver           might be hearing this for the first time

  2.Can make the receiver nervous if they feel being pushed to make a decision           when they haven’t had time to think about the message.