Communication 1.3 : Interferences : ENCODING

COMMUNICATION 1.3 :  INTERFERENCES

ENCODING

In the first and second articles of this series on communication interferences, I gave an overview of some aspects that can affect communication efficiency, but nothing that has been mentioned so far has as much influence as ENCODING. It is where lies the greater part of our efficiency to communicate. Therefore its importance is not to be neglected.

Let's take a look and see why.

We can find in the etymology of the word endocing the root "code". A code is "a system of signals or symbols for communication" (Merriam Webster dictionary). For our purpose here, this system is represented by the alphabet and the grammatical rules to which a language is submitted. The choice, the word sequence and the logical train of thoughts will ensure that the message will be well understood.

So, when we talk about encoding, we directly refer to the content of the message itself; the terms, the words that we choose so we can obtain the maximum impact for the understanding of our interlocutor. In theory, this may appear to be quite simple. A word is a word and well worth another, is it not?

Well, yes... and no.

How many times do we realize that the person or people we are talking to understand something else or do not totally grasp the full meaning or extend of our words. What happens?

The answer is simple: we plainly and clearly did not choose the "right" words. Or we do not know enough about the language to discern the connotations and nuances. Also, it is quite possible that we have not taken into account our audience (Read Is A Good Training Still Possible? Part 2).

What to do then? Should we read all the great classics of English literature ? Increase and diversify our vocabulary? Become more familiar with all the possible lingo assiciated with each and every specific field of work? Obviously.... not. Although, on the other hand, a strong and solid knowledge of the language in which we wish to transmit information is always a major advantage and a constant work in progress. It may take a lot of time, even years, before reaching the desired level.

What can we quickly do?

We can simply take time to think hard about the message we want to transmit. Right off the start, SIMPLICITY is always a good ally. It is also a synonym of CLARITY.

What do I mean by simplicity? The choice of words, of course. Words that will strike the imagination, that are direct and are straightforward. But, be careful! Here lies a huge part of the communication efficiency problem. Words we choose are "tainted" and sometimes can be interpreted in a completely opposite or unexpected way.

Language is a treacherous mistress because we think we possess it but, in fact, it posseses us. The poet Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) wonderfully described this ambiguity  in his famous sentence "Je est un autre" ("I is someone else", free translation). What he means here is when we describe a situation we have a tendancy to modify it, if only by adding adjectives. When we do so we bring a nuance, a biased vision of reality, either we like it or not. Moreover,, the choice of words we make is based on our own perceptions of things, which, in turn, helped us build our life experience. In other terms, a word may not have exactly the same value or meaning from a person to another, unless life experiences are similar, and even then! 

Let's take an example to illustrate this: 

Whimpy tells about his walk to his friend:  

"Walking was not enjoyable. Gales of wind battered furiously at my clothes and I had all the difficulty in the world to move forward."

According to his words we may be inclined to think that Whimpy went walking outside as a tornado or huricane was about to hit. But in reality, when Whimpy went out for his walk,  there were a few gusts of wind of about 30 kilometers (18 miles) an hour. So when Whimpy tells his story, he "taints" it, gives it another proportion and distorts reality.

Therefore, when we encode a message, it is always a safe measure to avoid allegories, hyperboles (exaggérations); in a word, all figures of speech and everything that may obscur the clarity of the message.

For example, it would be more eficient to say:

"It is forbidden to touch this under penalty of dismissal."

Than

"We would appreciate if you could avoid touching this. It may spare us both from undesirable consequences."

Even if the second message has the advantage to be more refined and probably more politically correct, its clarity, so its efficiency, is a little bit diminished. Indeed, when we "wish to avoid" something, the impact of the words is not as strong as "it is forbidden". In fact, to "wish to avoid" may mean that I could actually touch the object, even if by accident.

While in the first case, it is clear that I will do eveything in my power to stay away from the object, even go to the lenght of preventing something from happening to it. Furthermore, in this example, the message is brief, shorter, so possibilities of interpretation are limited.

The more you are able to express your thoughts in a concise and precise way, the easier it will be for your audience to understand exactly the full meaning or impact of your words.

Let's take another example:

Shrimp writes to her colleague Scampi:

"Good morning,

I am sorry for my late reply regarding Mr. Crab's file. I am swamped with work these days and I can barely hold my head above water. I will get back to you on this probably before the end of the week. I hope that your day will be better than mine."

Let's take some time to observe a bit the choice of words in this message and try to extract a general impression.

Sorry: Right from the start, Shrimp puts herself in an inferiority position (we are sorry because we have the impression of not having done something or having been "wrong" with someone)

Late: This word speaks volumes. Shrimps is not organized or she is not able to respect deadlines.

Swamped: The word is strong. It shows a partial or total loss of control on daily tasks.

Barely maintain my head above water: Indeed, poor little Shrimp! She seems to be overwhelmed and puts a lot of energy in her work.

Probably: Shrimp creates a doubt beause this is for sure not a certainty. So, there is nothing affirmative. She just cancelled all the reasons and the efficiency of her message.

In short, you understand. The general impression that is given by the message is that Shrimp is about to "completely lose it". Seriously, either she does not know how to organize things efficiently, or she should change job and have a position with less responsibilities. Also, Shrimp may be due for some vacation time. Anyone submitted to such a pace for any lenght of time is paving the road to a complete and official burnout.

Let's take the same example and choose other words to express the situation:

"Good morning, Scampi,

Concerning your message, I am pretty busy these days but I have not forgotten Mr. Crab's file. I am going to get back to you on this before the end of the week. Have a good day."

Essentially, this message says the same things. But the impression that we have from it is much more favorable. Why? Simply because we took time to choose our words well.

Concerning: It is affirmative. So we do not start the conversation at a disadvantage. We even have the impression that it is all calculated, planned and organized.

Pretty busy: Shrimp may have a lot of work to do but we feel that she has things under control.

I have not forgotten: It is so reassuring. We feel the professionalism of Shrimp. that she has a sense of priorities and that she is, once again, well organized.

I am going to get back: It is already more certain, if not more positive than I will get back. By using immediate futur. Shrimp says that she knows when she is going to do it, that she has planned this action and the general impression that we have is much more reassuring than if she had used simple future like in the first example.

Even if these examples may seem somewhat farfetched (so very little, really), the fact still remains that they make us see the importance of our choice of words. The encoding of a message, whatever it may be, is the most important factor  in communication efficiency. If you encode your message well, you project a professional image. It is how we approach our audience, how we present and show who we are.

Take a few moments to analyze your encoding. What kind of image are you communicating?

Soon to come, the other side of the coin; the decoding.

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Louis Carle

Director,

Formation Lingusitique L.C.