TITLE

Clear VS Muddy Communication

MATERIALS

Clear VS Muddy Communication worksheet

Pens/pencils

Scenarios worksheet

Dry erase board or flip chart tablet with adhesive backing

Slides (optional)

Evaluation sheets

DEFINITION

Clear VS Muddy Communication is a 60 minute training segment designed to improve communication skills for all employees. This training segment is important for all employees, vital for any level of management. The segment should be a prerequisite to any management training.

Basic concepts:

• Muddy communication does not save time

• Unclear communication leaves room for interpretation

• Clear communication is measurable

• Clear communication is objective

• Clear communication is necessary to get the desired behavior from an employee

• Effective leaders are talented communicators

• Clear communication boosts performance

• Clear communication allows for accountability

Upon completing this training participants will be able to easily define the differences between clear and unclear communication, will be able to self correct and recognize unclear communications, and should be able to apply the concepts immediately and with no further training.

KNOWLEDGE

No previous knowledge is required to comprehend and apply the material presented. The facilitator will give a foundation of the basic concepts that define the topic.

COMPREHENSION

Learners will translate concepts by checking their current knowledge of the differences between a clear and an unclear communication and will be required to self-correct based on skill training that defines clear communication.

APPLICATION

Participants will create a series of clear communications to check understanding of the communication skills training.

ANALYSIS

Participants will demonstrate the recognition of the principles involved with role playing, by evaluating one another within the training class, and in homework activities to reinforce practice.

SYNTHESIS

Activities encourage experiential learning with a major emphasis on providing evidence of new patterns and behaviors through peer evaluation and self evaluation..

EVALUATION

Participants will judge the value of the material based on the results of the new patterns and behaviors.

MATERIALS

Clear VS Muddy Communication worksheet

Pens/pencils

Role play scenarios sheet

Dry erase board or flip chart tablet with adhesive backing

Slides (optional)

Evaluation sheets

Watch or timer

Whistle or noise making device (optional)

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS:

OPENING STATEMENT (anecdote, personal story, quotation related to communication)

EXAMPLES

Anthony Robbins: “The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives.”

Mark Twain: “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightening and the lightening bug.”

Rudyard Kipling: “Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”

Lee Iacocca: “You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can't get them across, your ideas won't get you anywhere.”

NOTES:

PURPOSE, PROCESS, PAYOFF STATEMENT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this training segment is to help us understand how to communicate more clearly.

PROCESS: We are going to start with a worksheet (copy of worksheet pasted below) to check our existing knowledge of clear communication and examine the differences between clear and muddy communication. This should take about sixty minutes. (IF APPLICABLE, LET THE PARTICIPANTS KNOW WHERE THE RESTROOMS ARE LOCATED.)

PAYOFF: In the end, we will be able to self-correct when we are unclear in our directions or communications, get our message across to meet desired outcomes, and prevent misunderstandings that come along with unclear or “muddy” communication.

NOTES: (your additions like policy for cellular phones, breaks, announcements, etc.)

ACTIVITY

WORKSHEET (Pass it out or have a participant pass it out.)

“Please look at the worksheet I am passing out. Read the directions and make your best guess as to whether or not each statement is a clear communication or a muddy, or not so clear, communication. You will have three minutes.”

(you may assign a *time keeper)

Below is an actual copy of the worksheet for your reference. The correct answers are underlined and in bold type.

CLEAR VS MUDDY COMMUNICATION

Please read each statement. Indicate whether you are reading a clear communication or a muddy communication by circling “CLEAR” or “MUDDY” after each statement.

• Please be at the meeting on time. CLEAR MUDDY

• If you have your lunch in the cafeteria, be certain to pick up your trash, wipe down your area, and discard your trash in the waste container before returning from your break. CLEAR MUDDY

• I will take the manual to John Anderson in engineering on Monday at 10:00 A.M. and leave it in his mailbox. Stop by his office Monday afternoon, be sure he checked his mailbox, and confirm that it was the manual he had in mind. CLEAR MUDDY

• Keep up the good work! CLEAR MUDDY

• This time make sure you are thorough. CLEAR MUDDY

• Hold the ink cartridge the other way when you install it. CLEAR MUDDY

• Speak loudly when you address an audience. CLEAR MUDDY

• You may use your cell phone for personal calls as long as you keep it to a minimum. CLEAR MUDDY

• Be certain the entire graphic is dark red when it is completed. CLEAR MUDDY

• Do not work on your homework on company time. CLEAR MUDDY

• Learn the ins and outs of the industry before taking the position. CLEAR MUDDY

• It was late when I signed in. CLEAR MUDDY

• Take this folder down to Lisa Smith in marketing before 3:00 today. CLEAR MUDDY

• No eating at your desk. CLEAR MUDDY

• You’ve improved quite a bit. Good job! CLEAR MUDDY

• These numbers are bad. CLEAR MUDDY

• In the future, dress professionally. CLEAR MUDDY

• Your sales per hour are 1.0, you haven’t missed a scheduled day of work since April, and you’ve been very helpful in getting John familiar with the features and benefits of the Discover Miles Card program. CLEAR MUDDY

• Do it like Sherry does. CLEAR MUDDY

Call time after three minutes.

*Choosing a time keeper can be helpful in either involving inactive participants by assigning them a task and making them feel important or can be useful for quieting participants who are overly eager to participate. You can ask the time keeper to use their voice as a buzzer, offer them a bell, or other noise making device. You can make this fun.

ACTIVITY REVIEW

Either ask for a volunteer to read or you read each statement one by one. After reading each statement aloud, ask the class if they believe the statement is a clear or a muddy communication. Give the correct answer. Probe further by asking the participants questions about each statement. Choose specific participants to answer probing questions.

Here are some suggested questions to assist in facilitation:

“What specifically makes that statement a muddy statement?”

“What could we do to make that statement a clear communication?”

“What characteristics make that a clear communication?”

“Who would like to volunteer to modify that statement to make it a clear communication?”

NOTES:

THINK

Go to your dry erase board or flip chart. (If you are using flip chart paper with the adhesive backing, tear out the pages as you cover a topic and stick the pages on the walls around the room as a visual reinforcement of the material.)

Q & A

“In having talked about several clear and muddy statements, can anyone tell me what makes a communication clear?” (Encourage responses like measurable, opinions are not included, objective, no room for interpretation, precise, well thought out, detailed. Write the feedback down for the class to see.)

“On the flip side, what makes a communication muddy?” (Encourage responses like opinion, subjective, based on individual interpretation, hurried, Write the feedback down for the class to see.)

NOTES:

PRACTICE

Put participants in pairs. An easy way to accomplish this is to have the class form two lines facing one another and then have them walk to the person across from them. It is best not to allow participants to choose their own partners as they may get off track if they pick their buddies. You may want to use your time keeper again for this activity.

PASS OUT SCENARIOS WORKSHEET

“We are going to practice clear communication with our partners. I am going to give each of you three scenarios. You are going to make clear communication statements by writing them down and sharing them with your partner. Your partner will offer their opinion as to whether or not you have made a clear or muddy communication.”

“I would like each of you to look at your shoes. The one with the oldest shoes will take the first three scenarios on the sheet I passed out to base your clear communication on. The one of you with the newest shoes will be using the second three scenarios to base your statements on. You will have 5 minutes to write your statements.”

The actual statements found on the scenarios worksheet are written below.

1. Sam took a 45-minute lunch three times this week. He is only supposed to take a half hour.

2. A customer approaches you and asks you if you are a manager. She points at John, your newest employee, and compliments him because he welcomed her as she arrived, assisted her when she dropped her purse and coat on the floor, and answered a question she had.

3. Tami is breaking company rules because she has a large soda from a fast food restaurant at her work area.

1. Joe spends more time talking to his friends than helping customers.

2. Lisa has answered three calls on her cell phone today while she was supposed to be working.

3. Sue is always 15 to 30 minutes early for work, she has had perfect attendance for 3 full years, and is helpful to new employees.

After five minutes, call time.

NOTES:

DIRECT REVIEW AND FEEDBACK

“Please review the statements you and your partner wrote. Discuss why, in your opinion, the statements your partner wrote are clear or muddy. You will have five minutes.”

Call time in five minutes.

Q&A

Were you able to discuss all of the statements?

Were you all able to make clear communications for the scenarios you were given? Would anyone like to volunteer to share a statement for the first scenario (second, etc.)?”

(Encourage feedback and applause/encouragement from the rest of the class as volunteers read their statements.)

THINK

“You all did such a good job with your statements. I realize that you participated in the activity because I asked you to and I appreciate that. Other than for the purposes of this class, can you tell me some of the benefits of keeping your communications clear with the people you work with or even with your family and friends?”

(Write the answers on your dry erase board or flip chart paper. Encourage responses like prevents misunderstandings, saves time in the long run, helps the recipient achieve desired behaviors, provides an accurate measurement of behavior, etc.)

“Given that we can all see how easy it is to communicate clearly and understand the benefits, can you think of why someone may choose to use a muddy communication instead of a clear communication?”

(Write the answers on your dry erase board or flip chart paper. Encourage responses like not thinking, lazy, frustrated, in a hurry, unaware, careless, etc.)

“Let’s look at the scenarios again and pretend that instead of a clear communication, we used a muddy one.

Looking at scenario number one, if we were to offer a muddy communication, would there possibly be a consequence? What would the consequences possibly be?

(Go on to number two, three, etc. Go through as many as you like based on time and the enthusiasm level of the class.)

SUMMARY (Use this one or create your own.)

“All of you have done such a good job grasping the concept of clear VS muddy communication. Starting with what you already knew about communication, you learned the difference between a clear and a muddy communication, you were able to recognize your mistakes, you created clear communication statements, and were able to evaluate one another. We were able to discuss the benefits in taking the time to communicate clearly the first time and learned why some people choose muddy communication and some of the possible consequences of communicating unclearly.”

PAIR SHARE (Use this activity or one of your own.)

“We have covered quite a bit of material today. But for just a minute I’d like you to think about the one concept that is sticking with you most. Please turn to the person next to you and share that concept with them. Everyone should take a turn”

THANK YOU (Use this one or say thank you in your own way.)

“This segment on Clear VS Muddy Communication is coming to a close now. Thanks for being such an enthusiastic group. It was a pleasure working with each of you. Feel free to share your experiences with me and each other as you apply the training you were given today.”

PASS OUT AND COLLECT EVALUATION SHEETS

“I am passing out training evaluation sheets. I would appreciate it if you could fill them out now and hand them to me as you are exiting the training room.”

NOTES: