I don’t know whether you have ever had the experience of misdirected mail. At our house, we sometimes receive mail which belongs to another family in our neighbourhood with the same surname. The address and postal code are different, but the postal delivery person inadvertently makes mistakes from time to time.

Perhaps you’ve also experienced a similar situation with email as someone sends you a note which was obviously meant for someone else in their address book. In this case, the delivery was competent but the address information was erroneous.

Adequate communication requires that the right message be delivered to the right person. The letter needs to reach its intended recipient, the e-mail its virtual box.

However, unless the message can be understood by the recipient, there is little value in the undertaking. We’ve all had the experience of having someone talk over our heads, using language and concepts that are beyond our present understanding. Likewise, we’ve encountered situations where the information has been too simplistic for our tastes or needs. We are frustrated by the former and insulted by the latter.

That is one reason that feedback proves valuable. It helps us to know how effective our communication is. Is the content of the message appropriate? Is it understandable to the reader or the listener? Please take a moment today to drop us a note at feedback@scienceshorts.com with your feedback on our site. Thanks.

For Reflection:

• What do people tell you about your own communication style?
• How does your style make people feel when they are with you?