
Effective communication, involving a balance of shared understanding, emotional connection, and two-way dialogue, is crucial for success in all aspects of life and business.
Primary Implication
A solution is something that solves a problem or causes a problem to disappear.
To resolve a problem, one must be able to confront the situation. Confront is the action of facing without flinching or trying to avoid difficult people or situations. The RAD Communications Triangle enables you to be a more effective influencer, whether it involves enrolling people in your solution or confronting people problems, so they are no longer a distraction.
Overview
The inability to communicate can destroy a sale, a business relationship, a career. Those who communicate with skill do better in all aspects of life. A person’s success level in life is shaped by how effective they are as a communicator—the more influential the person’s ability to communicate, the greater their potential for success. People who are poor communicators do not do well in a job, business, or life.
Communication is not an advanced or graduate-level skill. Anyone who wants to can learn to communicate. Anyone who chooses to can learn to guide and shape communication dialogue. Anyone who puts forth the effort will succeed in business through continuously improving communication skills. While these abilities may appear difficult to achieve, they are not if you desire to be a more influential communicator.
The RAD communications triangle pulls together three related communication elements. The first related element is Reality. The second is Affinity, and the third and the most important for effective communication is Dialogue.
By reality, we mean “the solid objects, the real things in life.” This includes our views and perceptions with which we make sense of our world. When our reality is similar, we are said to have a shared mindset. People communicating in this state will be highly effective if they have a high affinity for the topic. Those with different views of reality will have difficulty communicating until they develop a shared understanding of each other’s reality on the given topic of conversation.
By affinity, we mean “emotional connection.” We mean “the feeling of affection or lack of it. High-affinity people on a given topic will exhibit energy in a conversation, while low-affinity people will want the conversation to end. What you have an affinity for and what you don’t significantly impact what you pay attention to, what interests you, and what doesn’t.
By dialogue, we mean “an interchange of ideas between two people.” There are two kinds of dialogue, both depending on the viewpoint assumed. Effective communicators make sure there is both “outflowing” and “inflowing” dialogue. Ineffective communicators will push the outflow and ignore the inflow.
A person talking to somebody is or is at least trying to communicate with that person. The person who is being talked to is receiving communication from that person if that is their intent. This results in the person who has been talked to now talking and the first person talking now receiving inflow communication.
As a result of dialogue being exchanged, a conversation has developed, alternating outflowing and inflowing communication. There is a basic rule here: those who would outflow must inflow; they who inflow must outflow. When this rule is out of balance, in either direction, communication difficulties arise. This is almost always the result of a disconnect between affinity and reality.
Effective communicators will stay in communication even when their affinity and reality differ. They know that these other two corners of the triangle will come into the conversation if they can stay in rational dialogue, particularly when the desired communication improves business results. Communication is the glue that will hold those employed in the business together. The lack of respectful communication is like a corrosive solvent for everything in that it dissolves whatever it touches.