Occasionally I find myself saying, “He is a lousy communicator!” Usually it is because the communicator forgot to tell me something I needed to know, told me too late, told me so early that I forgot, or all of the above. Reviewing this list, I realized how hard it is to be a good communicator. I must remember everything that may affect someone and tell him at exactly the right time so that he has the information when he needs it. No wonder I find myself under the category of lousy communicator more often than not.

According to 1 Corinthians 10:24 and Philippians 2:1–5, we each have the responsibility of considering others. Communication is one way to do that. Following are a few principles of communication that show you care about others.

Communication must be timely. Just because you have the calendar figured out for the next five years does not mean that everyone is ready for that calendar. Everyone you work with has a different idea of what is timely. Some plan way ahead, while others are lucky to know what the plan is for today. Your job as a communicator is to give each of them the information they need when they need it. Writing things on paper will help accommodate all the different ideas of timeliness. During staff meetings with many announcements, we have someone type notes and e-mail the notes to all the staff. If someone forgets a detail, he can refer to the notes. Also, if someone missed the verbal announcement, he’ll still get the email version. Try to stay a step ahead of your team with your timely communication.

Question, decision, communication! On your mark, get set, (you know what comes next) GO! With communication there is another series that you need in
your head—question, decision, communication! A question is the red flag letting you know when people need information that you have. You may have not yet made a decision. However, many times you have already made the decision and forgotten to tell anybody or did not realize how it would affect your team. Your concern about the well-being of others is tested by whether or not you communicate to them. Every time you make a decision, think about those on your team who are affected. Then do the work of communicating to them.

Encourage questions. It takes two to communicate. Think of questions as a way to clarify communication. If you are intimidated by questions, you will find
yourself avoiding them. If you think a person is being difficult or dumb because they are asking questions, the questions will slowly disappear. Giving your team a bit of time to ask questions during a meeting or at the end of announcements is a good habit to get into.

Once I realized that communication is not only talking and listening but also a way that I could prefer others, I had a biblical reason to try to be the best communicator possible.