From the Publisher: Ryan’s Remarks

By Ryan T. Sauers

@RyanSauers @RyanTSauers

Hello OUR TOWN community. It has been an unprecedented (if that is a strong enough word) 30 months. This means our communication skills have likely been impacted in some way and if not… I will share we can all still learn from this. Since I am asked so much about this topic, I am going to share some ideas.

The communications process is a key component of every aspect of our lives. Organizations are comprised of people and our communications patterns are complex. Therefore, my goal here is for all to become better communicators in all parts of life. To do this, we must strive to achieve the maximum level of efficiency and effectiveness in our communications.

Note: the goal is (top right/green quadrant) as per the “E” model below.

K Our world is noisy, has a short attention span, and moves rapidly in nature. In consulting/coaching, I ask people what level of “competence” they believe their communication is in. Most have not spent time thinking about this. I then ask how effective and efficient they are. Today, I am asking you the same thing. Let’s look at four common stages of communication development.

The first stage is referred to as the unconsciously incompetent segment. In this stage, a person is not aware of what he knows. Many people think they know more than they do and tend to overestimate their overall knowledge, skills, and abilities of communications. This can be (if someone is not coached) quite dangerous.

The second stage of communications is that of being consciously incompetent. In this stage, a person is now aware of how much he does or does not know. It is during this second level that a person realizes his or her need to learn, grow, and improve, and is no longer “over-confident.”

The third stage is referred to as consciously competent. A person is cognizant of what he is doing well and competent at it. Moreover, a person in this stage is committed to “lifelong learning” and developing more efficient and effective communication skills. He or she has become a solid communicator but still needs to think about it (as it is not yet second nature) and to realize that he or she must continue growing to reach the highest level.

The final developmental segment is an unconsciously competent communicator. A person in this final/fourth stage has become so competent, that he or she no longer must think about his or her communications strategies. Simply said, one’s competence is ingrained into his or her DNA and has become second nature.

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