How Miscommunication in the Workplace Can Turn a Simple Message into Chaos

The following humorously depicts what happens when a message is passed on by people to people; how important it is to be clear and precise whilst communicating in the corporate world...

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION???

From: Managing Director

To: Vice President

Tomorrow morning there will be a total eclipse of the sun at nine o'clock. This is something which we cannot see every day. So let all employees line up outside, in their best clothes to watch it. To mark the occasion of this rare occurrence, I will personally explain the phenomenon to them. If it is raining we will not be able to see it very well and in that case the employees should assemble in the Canteen.

From: Vice President

To: General Manager

By order of the Managing Director, there will be a total eclipse of the sun at nine o'clock tomorrow morning. If it is raining we will not be able to see it in our best clothes, on the site. In this case, the disappearance of the sun will be followed through in the canteen. This is something we cannot see happening every day.

From: General Managers

To: Industry Managers

By order of the Managing Director, we shall follow the disappearance of the sun in our best clothes, in the canteen at nine o'clock tomorrow morning. The Managing Director will tell us whether it is going to rain. This is something which we cannot see happen every day.

From: Industry Managers

To: Location heads

If it is raining in the canteen tomorrow morning, which is something that we cannot see happen every day, the Managing Director in his best clothes, will disappear at nine o'clock.

From: Location heads

To: Marketing Executives

Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, the Managing Director will disappear. It's a pity that we can't see this happen every day. So friends, the next time you are communicating, be careful, Your Communication can Make it or Break it.

Cheerio

Rajat

Dear Colleagues,

In as much as I want to believe that this piece sounds humorous, there are lessons to be learned therein:

1. That we need to be clear in our communication
2. Avoid technical jargon where necessary
3. Do not overstretch the reporting channel to avoid distortion of concepts/ideas along the line
4. We should always reconfirm if the message was clear to the listener.

Thanks.

Well Rajat, you made me laugh my head off on a very sunny afternoon. The message cannot be overemphasized any other way. The lesson is loud and clear.

To all out there, this is a must-read because it might have just happened in the last directive you made.

Quite fun to read your article.

Hey Rajat, do you have any funny or factual stuff related to HR? If yes, please share it with us.

Thanks,
Nupur

Very amusing. I have had situations like that happen when memos go from one department head to another before being communicated to the employee.

There is now a clear communication flow through the Human Resources department at our company, so there is no miscommunication of information.

Hi Rajat,

That was really, really funny! It gave me a good break. I have a similar one to share, which I will send across soon.

Regards,
Swati

Yah, this is really humorous! But I'm afraid to say, we're making this type of communication several times in our life.

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I have corrected the spelling and grammar errors in your message. The paragraph has been formatted properly, and unnecessary line breaks have been removed. If you have any more text that needs revision, feel free to share!

Hi Rajat,

In fact, we also played some games in the office to see the distortion of communication when it's verbal.

Regards,
Scarecrow

Hi friend,

This is the same kind of information I received from my reporting manager regarding a particular meeting and its agenda. This is what is happening most of the time in many organizations.

Of all the arts known to the human mind, communication is the art that supersedes all the rest.

Good! This keeps on happening. We have instances where Personnel Policies came out in print as Personnel Policsm, Public Relations with 'l' missing. Thanks Rajat for a good laugh.

KK Nair

Hi,

In management courses, the game played is Chinese whispers, but a great lesson to learn. Thanks, Rejat, for the topic. The best way is to have clear channels of communication identified and, as always, keep it crisp and short so that the message is clear and loud.

Best regards,
Anuradha Karthik

Dear all,

I am glad you liked the same and sharing one more aspect from Bottom - Top Hierarchy.

Have a great day!!

Cheers,

Rajat

Superb Communication

Programmer to Team Leader:

"We can't do this proposed project. It will involve a major design change and no one in our team knows the design of this legacy system. And above that, nobody in our company knows the language in which this application has been written. So even if somebody wants to work on it, they can't. In my personal opinion, the company should never take these types of projects."

Team Leader to Project Manager:

"This project will involve a design change. Currently, we don't have any staff who have experience in this type of work. Also, the language is unfamiliar to us, so we will have to arrange for some training if we take this project. In my personal opinion, we are not ready to take on a project of this nature."

Project Manager to 1st Level Manager:

"This project involves a design change in the system and we don't have much experience in that area. Also, not many people in our company are appropriately trained for it. In my personal opinion, we might be able to do the project but we would need more time than usual to complete it."

1st Level Manager to Senior Level Manager:

"This project involves design re-engineering. We have some people who have worked in this area and others who know the implementation language. So they can train other people. In my personal opinion, we should take this project, but with caution."

Senior Level Manager to CEO:

"This project will demonstrate to the industry our capabilities in remodelling the design of a complete legacy system. We have all the necessary skills and people to execute this project successfully. Some people have already given in-house training in this area to other staff members. In my personal opinion, we should not let this project slip by us under any circumstances."

CEO to Client:

"This is the type of project in which our company specializes. We have executed many projects of the same nature for many large clients. Trust me when I say that we are the most competent firm in the industry for doing this kind of work. It is my personal opinion that we can execute this project successfully and well within the given time frame."

Hi Rajat,

Thanks for sharing this article with us. It was really funny but also carried a good lesson. Keep up the good work.

Regards,
Ruchika

Dear Rajat,

It's very funny and gives us a lesson, i.e., to keep an eye on our communication skills.

Juhi 😂

Hi,

In a multilingual society, and more so in hierarchical organizations, such distortions are bound to happen. I have personally witnessed such a witty situation many years ago. This emphasizes the need for HR to invest in soft skills, particularly communication and interpersonal skills.

With regards,
AM