By BRUNO KAHNE
From Strategy+Business
In December 2006, while developing a leadership program for Airbus, I met an executive whose youngest son was born without hearing. Through this man and www.WebSourd.org, a French-language Web site that he founded to offer online sign-language translation services, I became familiar with the silent culture of deaf 카지노 꽁돈. As I immersed myself in their visual, intensely expressive language, I realized that through their "handicap," deaf 카지노 꽁돈 had developed certain communication skills more thoroughly than most hearing 카지노 꽁돈, which made them uncommonly effective at getting their point across. Thus a radical experiment was born: to work with deaf 카지노 꽁돈 as communication consultants for our corporate clients.
To improve 카지노 꽁돈r "hearing," consider some of these lessons from our experiences.
1. Look 카지노 꽁돈 in the eye. During one conversation I was struck by something a young woman had "said," so I started to write it down in my notebook. Suddenly the atmosphere changed. I looked up and saw the woman frowning angrily at me. I asked her, through an interpreter, what was wrong.
"카지노 꽁돈 are being very rude," she replied. "Why?" I asked, totally lost. "Because 카지노 꽁돈 cut the conversation," she responded, explaining that when I stopped looking her in the eye, I also stopped our communication. "I apologize," I said. "But what 카지노 꽁돈 just said was interesting, and I didn't want to forget it."
Her answer was quick and sharp: "No, Bruno. 카지노 꽁돈 don't write to remember. 카지노 꽁돈 don't remember because 카지노 꽁돈 write!" I was incredulous. "What are 카지노 꽁돈 saying? That because 카지노 꽁돈 didn't take any notes during this meeting, 카지노 꽁돈 will be able to remember everything?" Calmly, she answered, "That's correct. Since I don't write, I'm more present in the interaction and I can concentrate more. And the more I do it, the better I remember."
Ten days later, when I met this 카지노 꽁돈ng woman again, she was able to recall not just everything we covered in the original meeting, but also the color of my shirt and tie, and even how many chairs were in the room. From that day on, I stopped taking notes during meetings and interviews. Since then, my memory has improved.
2. Don't interrupt. Deaf 카지노 꽁돈 follow a very strict protocol: Only one person signs at a time. If another person tries to interrupt, the others in the group shake their right hands to signify to the "interrupter" that he or she must wait until the "speaker" is finished. This approach to communication, which at first feels slow, is in fact extremely efficient because there is much less misunderstanding to explain or recover from. Consensus and agreement are arrived at more quickly than during a typical raucous overlapping conversation.
By communicating sequentially, a 카지노 꽁돈 person ensures that he or she first understands the other speaker before trying to be understood. Try this the next time you're in a business discussion: Let the other person finish what he or she has to say, then silently count to three before responding.
3. Say what you mean, as simply as possible. Deaf 카지노 꽁돈 are direct. The deaf tend not to hide behind soft language, struggling to find the most diplomatic wording and hoping that the listener will be able to discern what they "really" mean. Deaf 카지노 꽁돈 reveal not only their thoughts, but also their feelings, both positive and negative, more clearly than hearing 카지노 꽁돈 do, as they express them with their whole bodies.
Similarly, the deaf are often far better than hearing 카지노 꽁돈 at finding the most economical way to convey their message. For example, I wanted to tell one of our deaf trainers about my last trip to India. I didn't know the sign for India, so I was forced to improvise. I tried drawing maps with my finger, and then tried to come up with gestures for cultural symbols. Suddenly, I saw a light in his eyes. With a big smile, he took his index finger and placed it between his eyebrows -- his sign for the familiar Bindi adornment -- asking me to confirm. So simple!
4. When you don't understand something, ask. Because sign language is a constantly evolving language new signs emerge all the time. Consequently, even if they use the same national sign language, two deaf 카지노 꽁돈 from different parts of the same country will use words unique to their region. Aware of this, deaf 카지노 꽁돈 feel completely at ease saying "I don't know" or "I don't understand."
Those of us with hearing aren't nearly as willing to admit confusion or lack of comprehension. We often sit silently in meetings while our colleagues use acronyms or technical jargon we don't grasp because we think asking for clarification is a sign of weakness. Ironically, we'd rather leave a meeting clueless than risk being perceived as stupid. A better approach, which encourages 카지노 꽁돈 to speak up, is to ask each person, individually, whether he or she would like clarification about anything that has been discussed.
5. Stay focused. The deaf cut themselves off from any distractions, they don't multitask, and they focus their attention entirely on the conversation. In a recent meeting with some deaf 카지노 꽁돈, I presented a new workflow chart. I gave them each a document outlining the program, planning to elaborate on it as they read the material. One of them stopped me and asked if they should first read, then discuss or first discuss, then read. Doing both at the same time was impossible to them -- and of course, despite what we try to do, it is also impossible for us.
Overall, the most inspiring thing about communication with deaf 카지노 꽁돈 -- and the behavior most worth emulating -- is their incredibly strong desire to exchange information efficiently and without adornment. This desire is so strong, in fact, that it often highlights how feeble, misguided, and wishy-washy our own attempts at dialogue are by comparison. It turns out that the 카지노 꽁돈 who are truly handicapped in communication are not necessarily those with a physical disability.
Bruno Kahne is senior consultant at AirBusiness Academy, a training and research consultancy in Blagnac, France, serving the aeronautical industry.
