Episodes of Living: GOOD CASE, BAD COMMUNICATION

Have you ever spoken in public and regretted ever speaking the way you did? This is not uncommon. But it is not common with people who take communication in public to heart. To say something in public is not only hinged on what you say but also how you say it. In Ghana, most of our politicians and other public officials are terribly bad at public communication.

Few weeks ago, I read a news item on myjoyonline.comabout how the PRO of the Presbyterian Church ended up communicating badly even though he had a good case. Mr. Asiedu Nketia, Secretary of the NDC, tagged the moderator of the Presby Church as backing the opposition NPP because his views on the creation of additional 45 constituencies were in line with the NPP’s position. In his bid to counter the statement by the NDC, the PRO ended up accusing Mr. Nketia of speaking under the influence of alcohol. This pronouncement marred the beauty of his case. The result was that he came back to apologize for how he spoke.

I have identified three reasons why people such as the PRO fall into communication blunders:

1. Cause: They let others determine what they say.

2. Effect: They don’t think about the consequences of what they say.

3. Audience: They forget that other people are listening.

If only we could make communication decisions with these three considerations in mind, we will avoid shooting ourselves in the foot. As I wrote last week on Talk Is Not Cheap, you’re personally accountable for whatever you say. You don’t speak because you want to speak. You speak because you have something that you want others to hear. This is a bad case for the PRO but a good case to learn the art of how to communicate effectively.