The greatest illusion of communication

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”- George Bernard Shaw

A friend, Linnaea Mallette of Read My Lips Tips For Success, has been quoting this for months. It finally resonated in me when a series of text messages were misunderstood or never received.

The scenario is this:

A person initiates a text message to another user, there is no response. Later the person checks their email and discovers that the responses were coming to email via the other person’s phone email. The emails were received with cryptic subjects and “from” description.

The takeaway I got from this, is NEVER ASSUME. Communication is only as good as the receipt of it, whether it be in social media circles or one on one speaking.