When communicating the qualities of transparency and coherence coupled with the intelligibility of message are critical to making a real impact.

The substantive power of the message is diminished if it is not clear.  The point must be comprehensible and the measure of clarity is whether the communication is understood.

Understanding

The intended meaning must be the same for both the sender and the recipient for understanding to have occurred.   Validation by asking questions to determine if the message was clear is a viable approach to checking for understanding, but not failsafe.

Even when probing open-ended questions are used, all parties to the communication could be fooled.  That is both you and them may be convinced the intended meaning was clear, however, at a later date gain surprising evidence that it actually was not.

Guiding Principles

Although following up to confirm clarity in communication is a best practice, it is not always practical, nor, as previously noted, foolproof.   The best approach is to for the communication to be founded on clarity.

Here are some simple principles to follow:

• Keep it simple.  The audience, whether for a written or verbal communication, tends to tune out when bored or not read everything.
• Keep their interest.  Tell the story in a straightforward way.  Focus on your audience and cater to their interests so they will stay tuned.  The storyteller has accountability for setting the context for active listening as much as the receiver.
• Be direct. Use the active voice, that keeps others interest by leaving out extraneous, bureaucratic or potentially confusing points.  That is, get to the point.