Communication Gaps and How to Close Them

Section 1: Gaps in Everyday Interactions

Why do people speak so unclearly when they’re providing important information? Take phone messages, for example. People sometimes say their names so inaudibly that I can’t tell where the first name ends and the last name begins. I once received a message from a fellow whose first and last names together seemed to be a single syllable, and whose phone number sounded like it had only five digits. He probably considered me rude for not returning his call.

Names and numbers aren’t the only cryptic parts of phone messages. Sometimes the message itself is befuddling, such as the one I received from a project manager who asked for my help and said I was the only person who understood her something-or-other. I ...