One of the most common pieces of feedback people get is:
"You need to improve your communication."
That's often the wrong diagnosis.
Communication is usually the symptom.
The real issue happens before anyone says a word.
I've found that "communication issues" usually trace back to something else.
Someone struggles to explain an idea.
They haven't clarified their own thinking.
Someone rambles in meetings.
They haven't identified the key message or the outcome they're driving toward.
Someone catches stakeholders by surprise.
They skipped the conversations that should have happened before the meeting.
Someone finishes an update and everyone is left wondering:
"So what's the ask?"
They never clarified the decision or action they wanted from the conversation.
Communication is what everyone sees.
Thinking, judgment, and preparation are what create it.
That's why when someone asks me how to become a better communicator, I rarely start with communication.
I start with everything that happens before they open their mouth.
What's a piece of "communication feedback" that turned out to be about something else?