"Communicate or Perish!"

When I checked on google search i found the word "communication" to  be "the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium."
Yes, I never expected to get the best dictionary definitions from a search engine like google. So I relied on my intuition to analyze this big concept that is very
critical to the survival of the human race. In fact, there is a story in the Bible that speaks to the great importance of communication to human kind. That is the
story of the Tower of Babel. Then the human race spoke one language and set out on a mission in order to fulfill the vision of building the tower that could reach into the very heavens of G-d.
Well, those of us who are familiar with this story know how it ended. The project failed, and was abandoned.
So what caused its failure? Language. Language was used by the Divine intelligence to defeat its purpose. By simply "dividing" their language, it led to them producing differing encoding and decoding or misinterpretations of meanings leading to confusion and then casualty, fatality and self-destruction.
The lesson on communication cannot be overemphasized.
In my brief working career, in relationship, and as well as in business, I have observed and realized that brain power is not enough to properly execute strategy.
Oftentimes, our brains and minds have conceived and planned out the best of the best of ideas, visions, strategies, etc towards an end goal. But the speaking out or communication of these ideals or visions is where we are faced with much challenge.
If you are a very good public speaker, you will agree with me that often times, you find out at the end of a well delivered presentation, that your heart keeps asking you "Did I truly deliver this information the way I intended it to be delivered?" or "Did this audience of people really understand or grasp my message?". Yes, this "self doubting" will always occur even with the best orator in this world.
The reason for this feeling is that everyone of us has a "feedback" mechanism embedded in us that senses the effectiveness of the message we send out - whether our "audience" or receivers got our message well or not. Then it triggers the inquisition "Did you hear me?" or "Did you understand my speech?" or "Did you see the picture that I am painting to you?" or "Can you perceive the innuendo in my communication?"
How well the "receiver" or audience is able to decode the message depends on the encoding method employed. This encoding or symbolism depends on the "level" of fluency or mastery of the receiver in the language employed during communication.
What often occurs is that the man speaking assumes that his subjects has heard and understood what he or she meant or the "meaning" of his or her communication. In communication, there is often a lot happening beyond the speaking, as all members of the human body actually transmit signals, such as body language - e.g. smile on face, wave of hand, movement of fingers, legs or other extremities. These all combine their effects into the final message. Hence, message could be easily misunderstood depending on the cultural context of the receiver or transmitter. In some cultural settings, turning the head sideways tends to suggest "Yes", rather than "No". Whereas in some Oriental contexts, it actually suggests "Yes". Hence, the speaker or preacher ought to be careful to sense properly the constitution of his or audience.
The medium of communication is simply the means  by which the message is delivered to the recipient. In today's communication, unlike in previous eras, there are myriads of media by which the message is transmitted to the receiver and vice versa. We have the air or acoustics, light, broadcast, radio, satellite, etc. For the medium of communication to be effective, it should not alter the form of the message or introduce "noise" into the message. Every unwanted signals must be filtered away. Also, the medium or media must not "modulate" the message away from the intent of the sender. So that it does not , for instance, increase amplitude or volume beyond the heart intent. Remember, we often hear a message and retort "I do not like your tone of voice?" What does this mean? Especially, when the sender tries to deny this , during our phone conversations. This does happen because the medium introduced and unwanted "decibels" which the sender did not intend to deliver.
Still on media, in today's world of electronic messaging, we now have the myriads of things like social media, chats, internet of things, etc.

We communicate in more new ways and media like facebook, whatsapp, wechat, etc. and often wonder why our communications do not deliver with the effectiveness intended. Once again, the cultural perceptions come into play, then the "gap" between the "heart" or "head" and the "mouth". You intended to say "I like what you said" but what the receiver perceived was "I heard what you said". This is the challenge of encoding, encrypting and decoding of the message.
In project management, we speak of Project Communication management, to be the body of knowledge having to do with planning, co-ordinating, sensing, receiving, feeling, interpreting, and informing members of the project as well as all stakeholders of the happenings or intentions or what has occurred during the course of the project.
As usual, project communication will involve keeping all stakeholders informed and alert of all phases, stages or milestones of the project. Once, the "language" of communication changes, then we must stop at communicating and begin "sensing" in order to understand the root cause of change of communication.
Because, life and human interaction is dynamic and constantly changing, it is key to "listen" for the "noise" constantly introduced into the "message". When is communication language changing? Does "asap" or "as soon as possible" mean the same thing it meant today as yesterday? Communication and communication encoding is constantly changing so that what was said yesterday might mean something else today( noise introduction). Hence, are you  constantly recording communication in order to resolve doubts today? Remember, that whatever information or communication captured will always be done within a specific context. Were you able to also "record" that context? If not, then why? What is the environment "communicating"? I hope you are able to capture this information also. Hope you listened to the environment also, not just the humans you are working with.
All communication remains valid "ceteris paribus" or "other things being equal or held constant". Do you have the power to hold other things constant? Do you know the One who can? So, always ensure that your communication goes out clothed in a context or within a situation. How are you carrying out situation analysis? Do you communicate within or without "ceteris paribus" ? Or "status quo ante bellum" , because the status quo is about to change? Who is changing the status quo? Do you know?
Are you also capturing or recording this?
Critical to the success of any project is the "integration" of all aspects such as scope, cost, quality, time, etc. This integration is best achieved through
communication. You have planned out the scope, have you communicated it? You have set the schedule right, have you communicated it? You have planned the budget? Have you communicated it? You have planned all things right, have you communicated the risks or "status quo ante bellum"? You have drafted and signed the contract,  but have you communicated the contract. Did you expect documents to communicate by themselves?
Communication is a deliberate act and must be taken very seriously for buy-in, commitment, synergy, cohesion and integration of the entire project delivery chain. Your project success depends to a large extent on how strong your weakest "mouth-ear" link is. You should spend a lot of time "talking-listening" throughout the course of your project life-cycle. Since, communication implies "sending and receiving" , you should always actively seek for "feedback" to avoid the "Babel effect", when meaning gets diluted, polluted, corrupted, attenuated, overly modulated and misinterpreted. You must use  your active listening skills to decipher when the "message" has shifted in modulation or has been corrupted.

What does "Get it done" mean? Does it mean "Let's get it done" or "It is done" or "Delegate it" or "Leave it done". How has your audience properly interpreted your signals? Have you the sender properly "sensed" their understanding?

Review it again,  and Communicate it succinctly or perish!

Have a nice day.