Communicating to Decision Makers: Why the Burden of Reducing Noise is on Technical Professionals
The N in FINESSE stands for noise reduction, one of the seven causal factors for being an effective communicator.
Communication is the exchange of information or ideas from one person to another. It has three elements: a communicator (or sender), a message to transmit information or ideas, and a receiver. Effective communication occurs only if the receiver understands the exact information or idea the sender intends to transmit.
Signal-to-Noise Ratio
Successful communication is analogous to the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in electronics. The breakdown between the signal generator and the receiver occurs during message delivery. In electrical and communications engineering, noise is commonly defined as unwanted energy degrading signals and data quality. A signal breakdown, including too much noise, is not the receiver's fault. It is the fault, and the responsibility, of the sender.
Linear Model
So why is the burden on the sender? For technical communication, the receivers often do not have the same level of expertise. Plus, in most cases, the receiver is the boss (or boss's boss), and the sender has been called in a subordinate role to provide information.
And there is another reason.
Academia classically divides communication models into three categories (linear, interactive, and transactional). Linear models take the form of “source-message-receiver” models and consider communication as one-way. The burden of effective communication is on the sender. FINESSE is a linear communication model.
Interactive models present communication as a two-way process between senders and receivers. The basic components in a linear communication model are present. However, there are two additional aspects. First, the receivers can provide feedback to senders. Second, the sender and receiver have relevant experience that they bring to the interaction.
The underlying requirement of interactive communication is that linear communication is already occurring. Technical professionals often arrogantly assume that their one-way communication is sufficient to justify a two-way conversation with the boss's boss. As a subordinate, get your own house in order first by reducing noise.
A Balanced Approach
One way to look at potential noise is by considering that information is either communicated perceptively or interpretively.
Perceptual communication occurs through the five senses—visual, audible, olfactory (smell), tactile (touch), and taste. Much of the general public communicate perceptively. Interpretative communication is the other form of communication.
Two major subdivisions within interpretative communication are interpretive-conceptual and interpretive-symbolic. For example, engineers communicate interpretive-symbolic (using mathematics and diagrams). Other technically trained professionals, such as lawyers and policymakers, also communicate interpretively but typically choose to communicate conceptually (or narratively).
Noise
The are other ways to view noise. However, from the perspective of perceptual, interpretative-conceptual, and interpretive-symbolic communication, too much on any one form creates noise for the other two. The balance is in letting the data speak for itself and presenting it in a balanced and ethical manner regardless of the immediate audience you are trying to appeal to.
Applying It with FINESSE
Communication is the exchange of information. It consists of a sender, a message with a form or transmission, and a receiver. Communication can be viewed from the perspective of a signal-to-noise ratio. It is the sender’s responsibility to eliminate as much noise as possible so that the signal can be properly received. This means that the burden of effective communication falls on technical professionals and not their superiors, board members, or decision makers.
The illustration “Signal-to-Noise Ratio” is from the book, Communicating Reliability, Risk & Resiliency to Decision Makers: How to Get your Boss’s Boss to Understand. The second edition is available on Amazon. Sign-up for updates on JD’s new book, Facilitating with FINESSE, at our website.