Clear Communication

One of my favorite things to do is to read instruction manuals that were first written in a foreign language then translated into English…by someone who’s first language is clearly not English. 

This week, our household is the proud owner of one of the new netbooks, the little notebook computers that weigh less than 3 pounds that you can carry anywhere.  Great fun!  But I had fun trying to determine what the instructions meant when they said things that probably made good sense in Japanese or German, but not in English!

But I’ve been on the other side of that dilemma as well.  Having served as an overseas missionary, I was called on to learn another language.  Keep in mind that I’m not what you would call a language scholar.  In fact, some of the people in the office would say I need some help with my English.

You can understand that there was a good deal of laughter when I preached my first sermon in the new language and instead of “inviting Jesus into your heart”, I asked the congregation to “invite Jesus into your cat”!

Communication is a vital part of our normal everyday life.  We should not obfuscate (confuse) the conversation with large words that you use to impress others.  We have to remember that the purpose of communication is to transmit information or facts from one person to another. 

When you are writing your resume and when you are interviewing for jobs, you should keep in mind that clear communication is one of your goals.  Recently, we received a resume here at LifeWay that told how the candidate “redefined the paradigm” and “leveraged our added value so that at the end of the day…”

Some work cultures may use the terms frequently, but you will often find that others who are not familiar with your work environment will have no idea what you are talking about. 

Another fun area of confusing conversation is when you use sports clichés.  It the cartoon Dilbert recently, Alice said in a presentation “We can kick a field goal in the ninth inning if we use a full-court press.”    She went on to say “Remember that you drive for show but you pick up the spare for dough.”  Dilbert then turns to Wally and says “I see you have been helping Alice with her sports metaphors.”  Dilbert’s stories are always extreme, but hold a nugget of truth.

It is much better to clearly say what you mean so that anyone can understand your meaning. Otherwise, you will have  have to “circle back” and again “interface” with the recruiter and hiring manager.

Good luck in your job search.

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