I’ve had 2 communication challenges in one day. Is this a gender thing? Maybe, but it may be more in how we listen. Here are the 2 challenges I encountered, with my thought on why communication seemed to fail, then a bit of business advice.

Challenge One: Directions Needing to know what directions to take, I asked someone in the neighborhood. He said “go to the exit that says Route 50 and take the airport exit.” Relying on my intuitive sense of direction, I asked, “that means when I get to Route 50, I’ll go left?” His response was, “no, you'll go right.” So, intuition not withstanding, I went right only to discover I needed to go left.

Challenge Two: Email I emailed a web site (it was linked text, not a proper web site URL) to some friends. Admittedly, the email was a bit cryptic as my subject line said “don’t let the blank page startle you - move your mouse.” The body of the email had a link to a Jackson Pollock drawing web site (again, note, I did not send the URL). The response from more than one recipient was, "Was moving my mouse supposed to do something? It didn’t.”

In challenge one, the directions were clear, so the person providing them thought, as the exit ramp was to the right. Only after I was on the ramp, was I to go left. Each of us made some assumptions about the other's knowledge base. In challenge two, the cryptic subject line led many recipients to think they only had to move the mouse for something to occur. Would you have been in this group? Or would you have clicked on the link and then moved your mouse? I made an assumption that everyone was on the same page as I was -- but not everyone had the benefit of knowing what I expected. This brings us to business email.

Communication is difficult already. Email is short and often cryptic and that adds to the difficulties. Consider this when writing, talking, and using language. Messages are often misunderstood or reacted to based on your own experiences. Think before you speak or write. Take the professional approach and write your business emails much as we used to write business emails. And don't take unexpected responses personally. It's about business, and a professional approach and reaction will win each time.