Customer Reviews

Communication Gaps and How to Close Them

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A communication gap is defined as a situation where two or more people have different interpretations of the content of a message. In normal interaction, humans are excellent at filling in the gaps, using context information such as the circumstances of the statement and the person making it to fill in the ambiguity. However, even there, misunderstandings often arise and we are constantly smoothing over interpersonal ruffles caused by mistakes in the interpretation. In circumstances where a misinterpretation can have dire consequences we simply cannot rely on the ambiguity of personal interpretation to solve our problems.
Given that communication gaps are inevitable in human interaction, the realistic goal is of course not to eliminate them but to reduce their frequency and the level of negative consequences when they occur. That is the point of this book and Karten succeeds very well in presenting detailed solutions. She also does not go too far in the other direction, where in an attempt to eliminate all potential for misunderstanding the situation is reduced to one of analysis paralysis.
The best statement in the book is the section title, "Asking the Right Questions and Asking the Questions Right." This sums up the problems of effective communication, for it can fail even if the right questions are asked, but in the wrong way. The section is typical of the contents of the book, where good ideas come at you page after page. Fortunately, the author also follows her own advice, keeping all of the messages simple, uncluttered and focused on the problem.
One point that Karten correctly emphasizes is that often a person is difficult for reasons other than that it is their fundamental personality. Many times the person is in difficult circumstances and treating them as a difficult person rather than as a person in a difficult situation beyond their control will be of little use. Therefore, to communicate effectively, it is necessary to understand a bit of the circumstances of their existence, or as the old native American saying goes, walk a mile in their moccasins.
The success of the modern business is more often than not based on an ability of their employees to pass information among each other as well as bi-directionally with their customers. My area of interest is in software development. Next spring, I will be teaching a college course in software engineering and I will be using some of the ideas in this book as I step them through the process of team building followed by software construction. While there are of course no silver bullets in software development, this book comes close, for most of the failures in software development are not technical, but social.

This is a very readable (as it should be) text on communication. Karten does a good job of laying the foundation of communication in the first 4 chapters where she talks about the roles of senders and receivers in communication. Nothing in these chapters is really groundbreaking, but it sets the field for what is to come. Chapters 5-8 relate communication to the building of relationships. There are important ideas about how to build strong foundations, appreciate differences in people, trying to see the other person's point of view, and maintaining relationships. In these first two sections, one of the repeated themes is paying attention to the other person. Other people are different than we are, and we need to allow them to be themselves.

The last two sections of the book deal with customer service and managing change. The customer service section seemed pretty straightforward to me. If you are having problems with your customer interactions, chapters 9-11 have some good ideas for improvement. Chapters 12-13 deal with managing change. Most people have a hard time with change. In chapter 12, Karten presents a few models for explaining change; however, she focuses on the Satir model. The main takeaway for me was that people will struggle with change, and you cannot expect otherwise. Chapter 13 presents some good tips for how to communicate effectively when leading change.

The advice in the book is practical, but it will require discipline to make the changes necessary to improve your communication skills.

Naomi Karten's current work focuses on how to "mind the gap" between you and your audience. This advice is helpful whether your audience is one person or many, whether communications are in writing or in speech. Her advice goes deeper than the handy techniques she presents. She gives a wider view in analyzing the relationships, the context, and the internal states each of the participants (you the communicator and the listener or reader).

Her advice on understanding the other's perspective is a prime example of that depth. While making one's own case is necessary, understanding the other person's perspective is perhaps a more subtle requirement of communications.

I found this book not only helpful in my business communications, which the author targets, but also in the range of communications within my own personal life.

I recommend this book to all my business colleagues who struggle with the intention of good communciations and the results of poor communications.

This book is chock-full of immediately useful advice about making your communications count. It's not about "hurling words to and fro." It's about making your message count without overdoing it. Karten covers a wide range of communication media, from formal presentations, to e-mail, to team conflict.

Some of the advice wasn't new to me, but was a terrific reminder of the thought and effort that effective communication requires up front -- to avoid all the communication gaps that can take even more time later.

I especially enjoyed the antecdotes throughout the book that highlighted each point. I was amazed at how some of the people portrayed behaved and was humbled by how others reminded me of my own foibles.

Karten's advice relies on two basic principles: care that your message gets through and care about the other person's situation. This book gives the reader lots of practical tips on how to get the message across while building the relationship.

I'm recommending it to all my clients and peers who are constantly perplexed by the excessive time they spend communicating and the confusion and distrust that still persists.

Here's a book for any professional who needs to communicate well and cares about how she or he communicates. Naomi Karten, author of the acclaimed book _Managing Expectations_ delivers again, in this witty and astute look at how to improve human interactions.

Section One sets the stage with explanations and examples of gaps in everyday interactions. Karten explains communication and provides advice for ways to establish sound foundations for effective communications.

Section Two explains gaps in relationship building, drawing on the Myers-Briggs model to illustrate communication preferences and a clever and useful tool that Karten dubs your "perspectoscope™" (Perspectoscope is a trademark of Karten Associates). She also draws from renowned family therapist Virginia Satir's work to recommend a 'temperature reading' providing useful examples of this vital communication tool.

In Section Three, Karten focuses on the area in which she is a world-renowned expert - customer satisfaction, including ways to get feedback and the utility of a service level agreement.

In Section Four, our friendly author (whose writing style makes us feel like a trusted friend) tackles the topic of change and how change impacts communication. Drawing on Satir's change model, Karten provides wisdom for understanding how change impacts our communications and practical advice for making our communications more productive when we're faced with any type of change.

Interspersed with anecdotes, stories, and well-placed cartoons, Karten's book is not just inspiring and practical but fun to read. I recommend it for professionals in any field in which communication is vital; oh, and to all humans who communicate with one another!

Communication Gaps And How To Close Them by international speaker, seminar leader, author, and consultant Naomi Karten is a straightforward guide especially for businesspeople, but also useful for lay readers, to effective and positive communication. From recognizing and preventing misinterpretations or disassociated definitions, to becoming aware of communication differences, to learning to see things from the other party's perspective, to the value of gathering and analyzing customer feedback, Communication Gaps And How To Close Them offers no-nonsense advice for untangling the confusion between human beings. Black-and-white illustrations and the occasional humorous cartoon add a touch of zest to this highly practical guide especially recommended for anyone in an interpersonal business job, such as management or customer relations.

Naomi Karten's current work focuses on how to "mind the gap" between you and your audience. This advice is helpful whether your audience is one person or many, whether communications are in writing or in speech. Her advice goes deeper than the handy techniques she presents. She gives a wider view in analyzing the relationships, the context, and the internal states each of the participants (you the communicator and the listener or reader).

Her advice on understanding the other's perspective is a prime example of that depth. While making one's own case is necessary, understanding the other person's perspective is perhaps a more subtle requirement of communications.

I found this book not only helpful in my business communications, which the author targets, but also in the range of communications within my own personal life.

I recommend this book to all my business colleagues who struggle with the intention of good communciations and the results of poor communications.