Why Communication Is a Hard Skill

Where did the failure occur?

Communication is often viewed as one of those “soft” skills that every reasonably educated person should already be good at, especially managers and senior leaders who have been around for a while. If that is true, why do so many management strategies and plans go undone? Why do so many good ideas and great products go unsold? Why do we have so many failures to communicate?

I recently came across the following, which was attributed to Konrad Lorenz. It’s quite profound, and is itself a wonderful example of clear and concise communication.

1. What is thought is not said
2. What is said is not heard
3. What is heard is not understood
4. What is understood is not believed
5. What is believed is not yet advocated
6. What is advocated is not yet acted on
7. What is acted on is not yet completed

Is it possible that communication is actually one of the hardest skills of all?