Context and Details Help Avoid Miscues

Vague and Ambiguous Language is a Recipe for Miscommunication

This is the third in a series on barriers to understanding in the workplace. The focus of this series is common mistakes that make it harder for people to understand and act on our message – and tips on avoiding them in the future.

If I say to you, “I need that report soon,” or, “Please schedule biweekly meetings,” what would that mean to you?

How can you be sure your understanding is the same as mine? Maybe “soon” to you means by the end of the week, but “soon” to me means within the next few hours.

And “biweekly,” by definition, could mean either every other week or twice a week. Which did I intend?

These are examples of vague and ambiguous communication that can lead to misunderstandings, wasted time and lost productivity in the workplace.

What’s the Difference?

Vague language lacks details and is therefore open to different interpretations. Ambiguous terms mean different things, depending on the context. Let’s look at some examples.

Vague statements:

• I need that report soon. (within the hour, end of day, end of week, etc?)

• Make that look nice. (make the formatting consistent, use a specific template or color scheme, change the font?)

• That’s a priority. (how does it compare to other projects in the works?)

• Circle back on this. (when? After this meeting? Tomorrow? Never?)

Ambiguous statements:

• I want to schedule biweekly meetings. (Twice a week or every other week?)

• Our team needs to be more efficient. (faster, fewer people per project, less budget?)

• We need to discuss meeting expectations (expectations for how meetings are run or what it looks like to meet expectations?)

The concepts are very closely related, and the pitfalls associated with them are the same. Vague and ambiguous language leave the speaker’s meaning open to interpretation and open the door to misunderstandings and confusion.

As I discussed with jargon and buzzwords, confusion can cause people to produce work that is incorrect. This is frustrating for both sides of the exchange and is easily avoidable with more specific language. Wasted effort, lost productivity and damaged trust are all real threats associated with this type of poor communication.

Simple Solutions

I’ll offer just a few examples of specific statements that can help you sidestep a variety of vagueness landmines.

• Instead of “I need that soon,” say, “Please sent your report by 1 p.m. so I can review it and ask questions before my meeting.”

• Instead of, “Make that look nice,” say, “Please ensure that we are using to correct branded template and check that the margins are consistent.”

• Instead of, “That’s a priority,” say, “This is important. Let’s discuss what can be delayed or reassigned.”

• Instead of, “Circle back with me on that,” say, “Please set up 15 minutes with me later this week to discuss that.”

If you are on the receiving end of vague or ambiguous communication, you need to ask for clarification. That can be in the form of a question or a restatement of your understanding of what they’re asking for.

Here are a couple of sample conversations:

“Set up biweekly update meetings for this project.”

“OK, does Tuesday and Thursday mornings work for you?”

“No; I mean every other week.”

“Great. I’ll set up meetings on the first and third Thursdays of the month.”

“I need that report today.”

“Got it. I’ll have it to you by 5.”

“No. I need to review it before the end of the day. Send it by 4.”

Communication may be a “soft skill,” but it’s vital to keeping the wheels turning in every group or organization. Missteps can cause real problems that you can avoid with simple adjustments. When you do, everyone benefits.

Have you encountered workplace miscommunication because of a lack of clarity or specifics? If so, have you adjusted how you communicate to avoid those issues in the future? I’d love your feedback, questions or suggestions for other barriers to address or topics to cover.