What do you do if your attempts at professional communication and learning from failure fall flat?

Reflect on what you're doing and ask for feedback from trusted colleagues. Use this feedback to identify areas to improve and adjust how you communicate. Instead of getting discouraged by setbacks, focus on learning specific lessons from each experience. Practice listening actively and try different ways of communicating to see what works best. Keep trying and consider taking workshops or courses to enhance your skills. Stay positive and be willing to change your approach based on feedback.

Reflect on the context in which you delivered the message. Who was your audience? Silence does not always mean rejection but can also mean attentive listening, politeness towards you and patience to wait till you have finished and give others the time to deliver their messages. Was the timing appropriate? Did you convey an important message or set up a date when everyone else was trying to keep a delivery deadline? Was your announcement appropriate? Did you give beforehand notice? A small agenda? And then go for it again.

Resilience is essential in communication and in life. If you had not had resilience and a goal in mind, you would never have learnt to walk and had given up with your first fall. So, do not let situations where your communication is not resonated get onto you. Rather find a silent spot and reflect on the situation. What has triggered you? Why did you feel the way you feel? Did you believe the message you conveyed yourself or where you repeating storylines a third party had instructed you to do so? Change your perspective and put yourself mentally in the position of your audience? What would you have expected from your communication?

Reflect, evaluate, adapt your strategy and then move on. With your "lessons learnt" in mind prepare your next communication and go for it again. Next time also reflect on what went well, what could be improved, what puzzled you and refine your communication preparations and your skills.

When professional communication and learning from failure fall flat, also consider seeking feedback for improvement, communication skills training, mentorship/coaching, self-reflection on communication styles, active listening techniques, emotional intelligence development, practicing empathy, resilience building workshops, mindset shifts towards growth and adaptability, and leveraging failure as a learning opportunity rather than a setback. Emphasize continuous learning, seek diverse perspectives, and adapt strategies based on feedback and experiences, fostering effective communication and growth mindset in professional interactions.