Leadership + Influence by Mastering Communication with Brain-Science (GrowthFuel President) Performance, Executive, and Communication Coach.
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Have you heard of two-way radio communication protocol in the military where certain etiquette must be followed in the dialogue exchange? Team members follow tight closed-loop communications to ensure messages are received when stakes are high and stress is heavy, just like on the battlefield. Utilizing this protocol improves the overall experience and effectiveness of all those involved. When on the receiving end of two-way radio communication, an individual responds "Roger that," meaning "Received." And the standard response is "Wilco," meaning "I will comply." Another common response I'm sure you have even said at one time is "Over and out," or "I am done."
In the medical field, the operating room will utilize closed-loop dialogue protocol as well because it is a business-imperative practice. It is the process of confirming and cross-checking information for accuracy and acknowledging receipt and understanding. It is an essential skill to minimize medical errors and ambiguity. In the healthcare industry, miscommunication is the root cause of a significant amount of medical errors, causing up to 30% of successful lawsuits where the patient was incapacitated or killed.
The above examples demonstrate what is required to reduce the risk of inaccurate understanding and ambiguity in order to avoid missteps leading to inaction or poor results. Humans tend to just say what we are thinking and give a command, and then—poof!—expect it to be executed just as we imagined it. But things don't happen that way!
The majority of the time in dialogue there are nuances in how messages get across as compared to how others are understanding your true message intent. These nuances come from past life experiences, how present and attentive the receiver is to the speaker or even what the receiver is dealing with that day. Don't forget about how nonverbal body language comes across. Most of us are unskilled communicators, clumsy or even just momentary risk-takers, meaning we aren't thinking about how something will land for the other person. Judith E. Glaser did a study at Stamford and found that nine out of 10 conversations miss the mark of the speaker's intent.
Most people do not get up in the morning planning to disappoint their boss and mess up. Most people show up with good intent and are doing what they think you want them to do (therein lies the problem: what they believe are the right steps from their point of view) to successfully deliver results. There is also the actual clarity of the interpretation of the speaker's message at stake. There is guaranteed to be some level of misalignment in the exchange. The receiver fires back, "I got it," "Sure" or even "No problem." And 90% of the time, each of those receivers will have a variation or a nuance of the original message which is different, so execution goes off track.
Open-loop communication style actually has no plan attached; it is really just haphazard.
What does closed-loop communication look like? A designed workflow practice that is laser-focused on keeping all stakeholders up to date with new information and insights as it evolves in a timely fashion. It relies on feedback to course-correct and maintain the requested output. It requires following up on open tasks or topics and looping in and updating others on changes as they are occurring. To officially close tasks down with all stakeholders requires affirmatively communicating when a task is deemed complete. This type of proactive status update creates stability and clarity for each stakeholder's role and responsibilities, builds trust and becomes a high-quality and burden-free workflow.
This communication practice style is important because the journey, expectations and flow are controlled by all players who are directly involved, leading to less variability in the outcome and fewer mistakes. It results in stronger or well-built interpersonal relationships between colleagues emphasizing transparency, proactive communication and trust-building, all foundational requirements for vital execution. Your message or task has registered with stakeholders.
What are the steps for creating a solid, repeatable practice of closing the loop?
First, provide up front what needs to be achieved: vision, expectations and what is nonnegotiable for the stakeholders involved.
Second, check for understanding and alignment: Immediately ask a check-for-understanding type statement, such as, "I would love to hear you summarize the takeaways and your perspective on this." Extend this level of curiosity to close the reality gap and assess how the receiver just engaged with your message. This reduces any ambiguity. It is an important step to allow for clarifying questions, including looking for how they are connecting the dots to the challenge ahead. This also grants you the opportunity to see if you can offer expertise and provide coaching to guide them proactively.
Third, stamp a due date on it: Every request requires a due date and making sure it is achievable while assessing other priorities. This is accountability being embedded in your process and where most of us fail to manage expectations.
Fourth, check, but verify: Before the receiver walks away, proactively create natural check-ins and follow-up points to get the task across the finish line. Agree on specific calendar dates. Put one or more of these 10-minute check-in sessions on the receiver's calendar, appropriately spaced out from the due date. The purpose is to ensure things are moving along and create natural accountability points for the receiver (if it is a team, the same applies). This helps ensure no one is left surprised by unfavorable results. In these sessions, the speaker gets to see the inside thinking as to how and what dots are being connected, as well as what is working and not working so well. Also, extend the question, "How can I help you?" Leaders and communicators seldom proactively tie all their requests together with check-ins for progress and post-touchpoints. This is not to be mistaken with micromanaging.
A vital communication and business practice, closing the loop is an incredibly powerful method that gives important structure to communication that dictates workflow needs. This business practice allows you to create and set expectations for a culture of closing the loop. Happy culture-setting!
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