How can you tell if your problem is a communications problem?

Not long ago, I stumbled upon an insight that now helps me navigate all kinds of situations. It came in the shape of a question:

Is the obstacle technical, cognitive or emotional?

It’s a game changer. Because we tend to put all of our problems in the same box, and even if they happen in the same team, context or project, it doesn’t mean they all have the same root. And when the root of our troubles is not clear, our biases kick in full force.

For example: a strategic plan needs to get through. Deadline is tomorrow. You ask the team if they can make it but they say there’s not enough time. That’s a technical problem. So you help them clear the agenda, move some meetings for tomorrow and add some extra hours to get the job done. The day ends but the presentation is, by all means, not finished. How can it be? Well, if the people in charge of making the presentations are not completely sure what should be in it, the problem isn’t time (technical problem) it’s knowledge and/or experience on the topic (a cognitive problem). We’re implementing a technical solution to a cognitive problem. So now we have two problems.

Let’s categorize them.

Technical obstacles have to do with operational limitations. Things that physically and literally condition us. For example lack of time, money, space, resources, something broke, the economy changed. Some of these are within our control, some are not. Those that are, have technical solutions: working in sprints, fundraising, moving into somewhere bigger, etc.

Cognitive obstacles have to do with understanding the problem. Sometimes what’s getting in the way is that we don’t understand the problem completely. If we don’t understand it, we can’t propose adequate solutions nor appoint the right person to solve it.

Emotional obstacles have to do with things that trouble us at a personal level. Wrongly, many times we don’t make room for them because we don’t consider them inside the professional realm. But they are, and we all have them. For example: we feel pressured, we don’t feel up to the challenge, a particular task faces us with a particular fear, amongst others.

Does any of this resonate with your daily work? I strongly recommend trying to identify and tag the obstacles you face today under one of these three. The first problem is not knowing (a cognitive problem 😛), therefore we need to open up a space where we can untangle all of this. It’s a priority.

Now, to the real question we came to answer: how do we know our problem is a communications problem?

Once we know which of the three our problem is (if we don’t, we can’t possibly do this exercise), we can think of a proper solution. And in that process understand if communication is part of the problem/solution.

When it comes to technical problems…

The solution should be very down to earth. The Internet crashed. We don’t have the resources. There is no expert to handle it. The team is oversaturated with tasks. Etcétera, etcétera. Now, IF the resources exist, and the problem is that teams work in silos, they lack coordination, information fails to get through, then there’s a communications problem. A very tactical, down to earth one, but communication problem alas. We are either lacking communication channels, a clear strategy, a cohesive speech or people assuming an informative role.

When it comes to cognitive obstacles…

It can be tricky to tell apart. But sometimes we don’t understand the problem because we’re not experts in it nor are sure about its root cause. If something is failing because of something we don’t know about, it’s hard to tell. Sometimes it’s lack of experience. We may know that a team needs restructuring, but not understand what the best way to do it is and why. We may understand that a strategy is not working but not understand how to propose a new strategy. This requires training more than communication. Now, if the reason we don’t understand is that the problem is unclear and no one can elucidate it, that there are contradicting messages or conflicts of interest flying around, that there is no room to actually bring up these inquiries or that a person’s ability to inform a team is less than one would hope, we have a communications problem.

When it comes to emotional obstacles…

It’s tricky. It can be something at a personal level, an organizational level, contextual level or all of the above. But it almost always is a communication problem.

The difference is that when it’s a particular personal case, the solution (not interpreted as a definite end to the problem, but an understanding of the best path to take) comes from communication because it provides clarity and can help the emotional problem become a tactical or cognitive one, or even make it disappear.

When it’s about context — the organization is going through a rough patch, the country is going through a particularly unstable moment or something happened within the team — then it’s important to make room for communication to let out steam, understand how it can affect work and separate this problem from the rest, not to take one for the other and create more chaos.

And if it’s at an organizational level, then there is a lot of strategic communications solving to do, cultural values to work on and internal processes to analyze: all within the communications realm.

So next time there’s something blocking your to-do list, or you find yourself, your team, or your organization stuck, ask yourself: what type of problem is it? And start from there.