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Welcome to Econnect Communication’s August 2005 newsletter—
‘Point of View’. In this issue we explore the importance of
being aware of and understanding another’s point of view when
communicating. This is no easy task. Often, just when you think
you understand someone, they turn around and completely confound
you!
There are also cultural implications, as Michelle and Jenni
discovered when cycling in China recently. For example, we found
that it is not polite to ask where the rice is early in a meal.
And in
large parts of China people rarely or never eat rice. In fact,
we saw only one rice padi in 1200 km
of cycling through largely rural areas—an example of how
long-held perceptions can be proved
false.
Where’s the rice? Michelle, Nelli
(guide) and Jenni take a break from cycling in China.
We hope you enjoy this newsletter. As usual, we welcome your
feedback and additional comments.
Regards,
Econnect Communication
Jenni Metcalfe, Michelle Riedlinger, Lynne Goodwin, David
Clarke, Mary O’Callaghan
In this issue: Point of view
Ten top tips to understanding another's point of
view
Point of
view: It's all in the message
Creative
minds and points of view
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Ten top tips
to understanding another’s point of view
By Jenni Metcalfe
1.
Don’t assume you have the correct knowledge about
others—empathy is gained through genuine understanding;
it is not an inherited trait.
2.
Research what is already known about past perceptions, concerns
and needs of other people. Look at surveys, reports, and
newspaper clippings.
3.
Ask people what they perceive, are concerned about, or need (do
they really want that glossy brochure?)
4.
Listen—this means they do far more of the talking than you do. A
good listener asks short sharp questions and clarifies that they
have understood.
5.
Remember, your perceptions are true for you but may be very
different for someone else, even someone who is close. For
example, they may have completely different memories of a past
incident that you shared; this reality is true for them even
though it’s not for you!
6.
Don’t get defensive—keep an open mind (and heart).
7.
Try “walking around in their shoes” for awhile.
8.
Have them tell their story in active first person to get their
direct perspective rather than including it as quotes in a
narrative. For examples, see Landcare
in the Philippines book:
http://www.aciar.gov.au/web.nsf/doc/ACIA-66CW4P
9.
Don’t give up—it can take a concerted effort to truly understand
another’s point of view…if that’s ever really possible.
10.
Remember, their point of view is all about them—not you!
Point of view: It’s
all in the message
By Michelle Riedlinger
Communication
methods that consider the audience’s point of view have a
growing following in science communication. Consensus
conferences, upstream engagement, and “dialogue” are the flavour
of the year. But critics still say we aren’t doing enough to
genuinely engage people. So what does this mean for
communication in practice?
There are three things to consider:
1. What does your audience want to know? What is their
benefit from being involved; what drives them; what inspires
them; what concerns them? Listen and respond in that order.
2. What do you want your audience to know? What is
important to you? Have you clarified your message in advance
of producing the brochure/giving the talk/organising the
consensus conference?
3. What could be misunderstood unless carefully explained?
Listen again, pre-test your communication, and get feedback to
ensure clarity.
Two thirds of any communication should be about the audience,
with listening given a higher priority than speaking and
writing.
But what do YOU think?
Creative minds and points of view
By
Lynne Goodwin
You know how it is—you enthusiastically hammer out a whole
chapter of your very first novel, so captured in the exciting
flow streaming from your brain to your fingertips that you're
unable to stop... and "Voila!"
You pat yourself on the back and declare yourself a genius of
the creative word. Clutching your first ten pages, you hurry off
to see your published author friend, eager for opinion and
feedback and, of course, praise.
"Ah..." she says, scratching her head, and your elation begins
to deflate like a month-old party balloon. "No,
no, it's good—wonderful characters. I can see them so
clearly…they blaze off the page...”.
Heart in mouth, you await the inevitable "but".
"But," she says unsurprisingly... "It's a problem with the POV
you see." Well no, I don't see at all. In fact I have no idea
what is ailing my POV, or even what the hell a POV is!
"Point of view," explains my experienced friend. "It's when you
give a character in a scene the primary focus. They tell you
what they're thinking, what they can see, what they want. Here
you have too many people taking the viewpoint. For example:
John crossed to the far side of the room and stood looking out
of the window, running a hand through his hair and wishing he
was with Elizabeth right now. Mary slumped on the couch and
sighed, thinking that John just wasn't paying attention to her
any more. She shrugged her shoulders and looked at Mike, hoping
he could help somehow. "Come on!" said
Mike, trying to be cheery but really feeling confused and
wondering what was happening between his friends. "Let's all go
out for a picnic!"
"Can you see what's happening here? All three of these
characters are taking the focus on their thoughts and it becomes
confusing, switching from one person's thoughts to another. It's
not possible, or rather, not comfortable, to get into all of
their mindsets at once, so Point of View is necessary to keep a
focus on your protagonist—your main lead in the story. Trying
that paragraph again, we would be more comfortable with this:
John crossed to the far side of the room and stood looking out
of the window, running a hand irritably through his hair. Mary
slumped down on the couch and sighed. She had no idea what was
troubling John, but she'd noticed some strange behaviour
recently and was at a loss what to say to him. Looking up at
Mike, she shrugged her shoulders, in a 'can you help?' kind of
gesture. Taking a deep breath and rubbing his hands together,
Mike broke the silence. "Come on!" he said cheerily. "Let's all
go out for a picnic!"
"It's apparent that it's Mary's POV in this scene and we begin
to learn her thoughts and feelings; we get to know her and how
she ticks. Although it's usually best to focus on one or two
characters in a story, it's quite alright to switch the POV to
another character, as long as it's not in the same scene. For
example, in the next chapter or scene, John's thoughts and
feelings can become the focus. See what I mean?"
I could see instantly what she meant and now I always make sure
there's only one POV in a scene. It just reads so much better.
I have to say at this point that in no way, shape or form do I
have a novel based on the soap-opera type lives of John,
Elizabeth, Mary and Mike. But now that I've started.....hmmmm |
