Why some coworkers ramble, and what to do about it
How many times have you come across coworkers who don’t come to the point ever or do so in a very long-winded manner? Here's how you can deal with it
Effective communication is a two-way street
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Raj asked Neha, “By when do you think you will be able to finish the deliverables for the Medcon project?” Neha went into a long conversation giving the background on the reasons it could get delayed, the dependencies, her mother’s illness, and so on until finally, she gave him some idea of the completion date. It left Raj quite exasperated. Neha, on the other hand, thought she was explaining the context, something Raj thought he didn't need.
How many times have you come across coworkers who don’t come to the point or do so in a very long-winded manner?
As an executive coach to senior leaders globally, I come across many people wanting to improve their communication skills. They often admit that they have received feedback to be more clear and concise in their messaging. Having a sub-par communication style can lead to many issues and can even impact relationships negatively. Not being succinct and clear is one of the significant areas of improvement that you can work on to become a better communicator—a fundamental leadership skill.
There are two sides to this problem: the listener and the talker.
It is a natural reaction to get impatient with employees who do not get to the point quickly. After all, there are so many things to finish in a day and only so much energy to complete the tasks at hand. How can you best handle dealing with this without sounding rude? The skill lies in smoothly steering the conversation where it needs to go while staying open to hear relevant information. Understanding why people ramble will help both sides.
Here are a few reasons why people babble and prattle:
If you are someone who runs on in their speech, try thinking which which of the above reasons are making you do it and try to address them.
For the audience to the vocal saunterers, you can do the following to deal with them better.
Effective communication is a two-way street. Yes, it is annoying when people don’t come to the point quickly. You should certainly relay the feedback in an appropriate manner, if suitable, but also recognise what this behavior in others triggers within you. This might be a fantastic opportunity to become a better listener and investigator.