Have you heard anyone this year rave about all the uncertainty that’s everywhere we turn? Probably not.

But even though we humans would rather trade this uncertainty for some predictability, we’re capable of managing all the changes coming at us from so many different directions.

How? We’ve got our highly-developed brain, especially our executive function that allows us to think at higher levels. Plus, we naturally band together with other humans to collaborate to survive and thrive.

And don’t forget our superpower, which is our ability to communicate with one another.  We share our thoughts, concerns, wants and needs with each other and then discuss, question and decide what to do.

Yet this strength is also a weakness because we keep getting stuck relying on old, sloppy communication habits. What can we do to break these patterns so we reduce the ambiguity, friction and errors we experience during these uncertain times?

This Forbes article, How to improve your communication to counter uncertainty, published on Oct. 26, 2020, outlines five principles we can follow to improve how we use our communication superpowers and actually communicate well with each other.

By the way, I’m excited to announce I’ve started collaborating with Jim Thompson and Sam Yankelevitch. We’re writing a book on cultivating deliberate communication habits at work. The goal is help you and others improve your performance, enhance your working relationships, and better navigate the VUCA world. You’re invited to join us on our journey at the communication habit.

Here’s more about us:

• Liz Guthridge is an executive coach, consultant and facilitator who helps leaders at all levels build better habits, improve their communication and become more accountable to themselves and their teams. She’s passionate about behavior design, lean communications and neuroscience.
• Jim Thompson is a consultant and educator who teaches current and future business leaders how to find money, reduce risk, build a lean culture, improve quality and create a great place to work.
• Sam Yankelevitch is an engineer turned coach, trainer and author who helps business leaders and multicultural teams work better together to solve problems. His books include Walking the Invisible Gemba and Global Lean: Seeing the New Waste Rooted in Communication, Distance, and Culture.