Meant doesn’t mean said

6 reasons why we stay silent when we should speak, and two strategies that make sure you speak up about what you notice…

Strategies for improving verbal dexterity in teamwork.

Meant doesn't mean said

This is the first of four articles in the series on verbal communication in teamwork. When we work together, most of our communication happens out loud. The articles are mainly about how you minimise missing, wrong, misinterpreted and misunderstood communication in busy situations. Many of the tools are drawn from experience in aircraft cockpits and operating theatres, and are about how you overcome the classic barriers in verbal communication:

Meant doesn’t mean said

said isn’t heard

heard isn’t understood

understood isn’t done

Verbal communication is absolutely essential for teamwork to function. Especially when we’re busy. Because when we’re busy, we often don’t have time to coordinate in writing who does what, when, how, why and with whom. It happens out loud — and if we don’t share the same understanding of the situation, the task and the resources we have available, we can’t pull together.

Stress and uncertainty make even experienced colleagues suddenly fall silent. According to Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers, an aircraft’s black box typically documents a deafening silence in the minutes before a crash. In the same way, you often see team members not talking to each other during poorly coordinated resuscitation of patients (J. Dunn, 2007).

In 2010, researchers studied errors in verbal communication at five Danish hospitals. They reviewed 84 cases of serious so-called adverse events. According to the Danish Patient Safety Authority, an adverse event is an error not caused by the patient’s illness — an error that has caused, or could have caused, harm to the patient. One study found that employees failed to speak up in 23 % of cases (L. Rabøl, 2010). The researchers defined “not speaking up” as when employees were worried, or had information they hesitated to share because of confusion, deference to an authority, or because they felt intimidated. So even though we’re known for our flat organisations, we can easily run the risk that colleagues don’t speak up when they need to.

One study found that employees failed to speak up in 23 % of cases.

6 reasons we stay silent when we should speak

Even if you don’t necessarily work in a high-risk industry where mistakes can cost lives, there are still plenty of situations where it’s important that we make ourselves heard when things heat up. Mistakes cost time, money, customers and jobs when we don’t speak up. Here are the typical barriers:

There’s an expert in the room
Actually, an expert doesn’t even have to be present for us to fall silent. We just have to believe one of the team members is an expert. When we believe someone else is an expert, our natural reaction is often to hand our doubt over to the expert instead of speaking up. Sadly, we forget that even the most experienced expert can also overlook things and misjudge.
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The argument is convincing, but the solution is mediocre
Most people don’t find it hard to tell the difference between a good and a bad solution. Most people do, however, find it hard to tell the difference between a good and a really good solution. When the discussion goes round in circles, we often go for the solution that’s best for the team rather than best for the cause.
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We don’t think we have anything to contribute
I often see that new team members in particular, the inexperienced ones, hesitate to take part in the solution. What they forget is that seniority is no guarantee that you’ll join the discussion. Even experienced members stay out of the discussion if they lack the self-confidence it takes to be heard.
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The decision seems pointless or unimportant
If some people on the team feel the problem has nothing to do with them, they can be inclined not to take part in the solution. The situation can get worse if they only join in when it’s about their own agenda. Some mistakenly think this is good, because it means the meetings finish faster. In reality, you might as well skip the meeting altogether, since it doesn’t add nuance to the solution and therefore adds no value to the team.
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Others push for us to fall into line
Sometimes there’s a push for a proposal to win the backing of a unanimous team. It can begin right at the start of a process, and as the need to show progress grows, the pressure rises. I’ve even seen examples of a team member taking on the role of “gatekeeper” — that is, blocking outsiders’ ideas to give the team some peace to work.
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The climate for decisions is dysfunctional
The start of a decision-making process can be marked by team members being frustrated, confused and disengaged. Some members read these signals as a cue to pull back and minimise their involvement. We forget that this confusion and frustration is natural, because the team is in the middle of defining tasks and responsibilities.

The researchers defined “not speaking up” as when employees were worried, or had information they hesitated to share because of confusion, deference to an authority, or because they felt intimidated.

Two strategies that make sure meant gets said

1. “Fly by voice”

One strategy we can carry over from the aviation industry to promote verbal communication is called “fly by voice” (T. Katerinakis, 2014). Pilots are taught to routinely announce what they intend to do. For example: “I’m taking the controls to begin the landing.”

In the same way, you could bring in “fly by voice” by saying out loud what you intend to do — especially when you’re busy or the situation is critical:

“I’m calling the IT department to find out when the server is back up and running.”
“I’m setting up a meeting with the customer as quickly as possible.”

When the office is busy, there’s nothing the vast majority would rather do than help out. But it can be hard if you’re unsure who does what. That’s why “fly by voice” can be a big help. Partly it creates a form of double check by minimising the risk of duplicated work, and partly it means you can give each other relevant, timely support more easily when you know who does what, when and with whom.

2. The CUS programme

Another lesson from the aviation industry comes from United Airlines. This one applies in the most stressful situations, and is a signal that everyone should stop what they’re doing and listen to what you have to say. The CUS programme at United Airlines has been a big success, and stands for: “I’m concerned”, “I’m uncomfortable”, “This is unsafe” or “I’m scared” (A. Agrawal, 2013).

When we’re busy, we can’t leave communication to chance. You can’t assume that all your colleagues are able to communicate flawlessly out loud under pressure. So I’d suggest you agree on your own “stop” programme for emergencies, for when you need to signal that you want to contribute to a solution but find it hard:

“I’m in doubt.”
“I’m confused.”
“I can’t see the point.”
“I don’t know how.”

Agree on what to say so that everyone stops.

Don’t count on always calling a spade a spade

My suggestion is that you take the aviation industry’s experience seriously and build a strategy for how you promote verbal communication when you’re busy (E. Salas, 2001). It’s not enough to agree: “Here we can call a spade a spade.” It’s human to doubt and hesitate. As social creatures, a situation can quickly arise where we — without meaning to — hold back when we should have spoken.

Sources and further inspiration

Medical Team Training: Applying Crew Resource Management in the Veterans Health Administration

J. Dunn, 2007, Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety

Republished Error Management

L. Rabøl, 2010, Postgraduate Medical Journal

Aviate, Navigate, Communicate: Silence, Voice and Situation Awareness in Aviation Safety

T. Katerinakis, 2014, Drexel University

Patient Safety: A Case-Based Comprehensive Guide

A. Agrawal, 2013, Springer

Culture, Error, and Crew Resource Management

E. Salas, 2001, Improving Teamwork in Organizations