My former partner in crime, Eric Bettelli, current CEO of MC, walks around the office all day chanting, “Clear ‘n Precise, Clear ‘n Precise…all I want is Clarity and Precision.” The staff goes crazy because they’ve heard it a million times. But it doesn’t matter. He just never stops. And the truth is, he’s right. In our everyday interaction with people in the entertainment industry, “Precision” provides a no-hype, straightforward path to career success and personal achievement. Precision insists on cooperation, quickens response time, provokes clarity, and delivers exceptional results…fast!
However, there’s so little precision in our daily interactions with each other in showbiz. Hasty, half-ass, hip communication seems to be the accepted norm, while deficient, administrative procedures are the conventional office protocol. Exchanging rumors has become the prevailing preference of daily conversation, while the virus of gossip spreads uncontrollably throughout the industry. The result of this conversational apathy is that ordinary discussions are misunderstood, urgent documents are poorly written and hastily proofed, important meetings are carelessly organized, deals don’t go down, and the money never makes it to the bank! Meanwhile, attorneys get rich, sorting out the sea of miscommunications and misunderstandings that abound in this industry. Ultimately, it all leads to stress, frustration, anxiety, and, needless to say, a total waste of time and money. Not to mention the fact that your career gets entangled in the “drama” and “hoopla” of it all!
Haven’t we read enough books on communication yet? Didn’t we learn anything from all those seminars we took from Tony, Vernon, Werner, Seth, Wayne and Deepak? How many times must we listen to the great voice of Eric Burdon cry his heartfelt lyric, “I’m just a soul whose intentions are good, oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood.”
A probe into the effective use of our communication skills may be useful in determining the reason why there are so many misinterpretations and communication breakdowns in our business. It could also be a contributing factor as to why you, your group, your company or corp. haven’t broken through yet.