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开场说明本课主题是“先理解，再被理解”，并用职场常见误会说明“说了”不等于“沟通完成”。重点强调有效沟通必须让对方明确目标、状态、下一步和责任分工。
Hello everyone , the second lesson in our workplace communication series is : Understand before being understood .Have you ever said something like this ?" But I clearly said it !I brought it up in the meeting , I sent an email , and I even sent a message ." Yet , a few days pass and there’s no progress .When something goes wrong , people turn around and ask you , " Why didn't anyone handle this ?" " Why didn't you give us a heads-up sooner ?" I’m sure you feel very aggrieved in moments like that ." I did say it , and I said it more than once ." But there is a very harsh reality in the workplace .Just because you said it doesn't mean they know what to do ; even if they heard you , it doesn't mean things will move forward .
Often , we think we’ve finished communicating , when in reality , we’ve only finished expressing .
Truly effective communication isn't just about finishing what you have to say ; it’s about everyone being clear on the goal , the status of the task , the next steps , and who is doing what by when .
Hello everyone , I’m Dr.Chao Hai-ying from Trend Management , and this is our second lesson in the workplace communication series .Does the situation I described sound familiar to you all ?You hear this often in the office , and you feel aggrieved , thinking , " I said it , I covered it , and I sent the notes ." But talking isn't the same as communicating .Giving a reminder doesn't mean the task will proceed smoothly .The goal of communication isn't just to express ourselves .We’ve taken many communication courses , but the real goal is to drive progress .Many people equate communication with simply stating their thoughts ." I need to explain all the work I've done , justify it , remind everyone , and add more details ." But workplace communication isn't over when you stop talking ; it’s about whether there’s a next step after you finish .
After you finish speaking , one of two things will happen .First , the other person knows exactly what to do next — that is successful communication .But if you finish speaking and they still don't know the next move , it means the communication isn't complete .So , after you speak , you must ask yourself : Does the other person know what to do next ?
通过会议场景分析为什么讨论很多却没有进展，指出“赶快”“很急”等抽象词会造成理解偏差。接着示范如何把模糊要求改写成具体的时间、任务、负责人和应对方案。
Meetings are a common part of our professional lives .Some companies hold meetings once a week .Others hold them daily .Meetings have become a crucial focal point for communication , but once the meeting ends , is any real progress being made ?
In meetings , managers say " speed up this project , " sales reps say " the client is in a rush , I need the next version now , " but designers say " you haven't given us aclear direction yet ." Finally , the project lead sums it up by saying , " everyone needs to try a little harder ." And so , the meeting concludes .But in that meeting , did anyone clearly address these four things ?First , what is the real bottleneck right now ?Who is responsible for the next step ?When will it be finished ?What exactly defines " finished " ?
Consequently , the manager thinks the lead will follow up , the lead thinks the designer will provide a version , and the designer thinks sales should first clarify the requirements .
So in the end , nothing moves .Everyone participated in the communication , but no one actually took action .That is what makes a meeting highly ineffective .So , under these circumstances , I think if we express things differently , would it be much clearer to everyone ?Everyone says " I'm in a rush , " but how urgent is it ?What does " in a rush " even mean ?The word " urgent " is very abstract ." This data is urgent , get it to me fast " — we hear this often from ourselves , our colleagues , or across departments .Sometimes we say it ourselves : " I’m in a real rush , you need to get this to me now ." But how urgent is " urgent " ?What if we rephrased that sentence ?
" Because I need to submit this to the client by Friday , I need you to get it to me by Wednesday at noon so I can organize the data and the client list ." " It’s already confirmed , just send me the draft .We can confirm the numbers and update them later ." " If you can't make Wednesday , can you let me know before you leave today ?Then we can divide the work and adjust accordingly ."So , if you take the words " I'm in a rush " and express them this way , it covers everything : the first step , who is doing it , and exactly what needs to be done .
Third , when to do it ; fourth , to what extent it should be done ; fifth , how to handle it if it can't be done .In other words , you have clearly explained everything from how to start to the final risk management all at once ; that is effective communication , not just saying " I'm in a rush , please hurry , I'mvery urgent ." Saying that is actually ineffective communication .
转到邮件沟通，说明很多邮件没有回复，是因为内容过于笼统，收件人不知道该提供什么、何时提供。作者示范如何在邮件中写清原因、需求、时间与替代方案，让协作更顺畅。
Now , let's move on to the second case study .I think a primary communication tool for everyone in the workplace is writing emails .But many times , you send out an email , yet the other party doesn't reply .Why ?Because when you write the email , you might say , " Please provide the relevant information , " or " Please assist by providing the relevant information , thank you ."I think this sentence — I've used it myself — saying " Please provide me with the relevant information , " makes the person reading the email wonder , what exactly is the " relevant information " ?How urgent are you ?When do you need it ?None of that is mentioned , so I don't know how to reply to you because your email isn't clear , and as a result , the email sinks into the abyss with no response .
When we communicate via email , for it to be very effective , I usually first state clearly that the data needs to be compiled for the supervisor's confirmation by this Friday , and ask them to provide it bya specific time this Wednesday afternoon .Provide what ?First , the 2025 revenue data ; second , the percentage of the top five clients ; third , the list of currently completed projects .List 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 clearly for them .If these materials aren't finished yet , please provide the version that is currently available so we can start the preliminary organization .I think this kind of highly effective email communication makes it very clear to the other party what needs to be done .
So when you write an email — especially because not everyone is always able to express their thoughts clearly in writing — we need to be even more meticulous and articulate in our written communication .
So , what should you say ?Explain why it is needed .Explain why you need this document ; second , what exactly I need ; third , when I need it ; fourth , if you can't do it , is there an alternative ?
Writing an email like this in the workplace — whether with clients , colleagues , cross-departmental teams , or public sectors — will make cooperation very smooth .
You have clearly laid out these four steps , so the recipient understands immediately , rather than using abstract terms like " urgent , " " busy , " " soon , " or " relevant info ."I think these abstract words are hard for people to grasp or respond to effectively .
讲解不要只问“可以吗”，而要问“能不能做”“什么时候完成”，因为“好”“我试试”并不等于承诺。引用谈判书观点，强调用“怎么做”“什么方式”来提问，才能把对方带入一起解决问题。
So , I want to share a second concept with you here .What is this second concept ?Don't just ask , " Is that okay ?" You should ask , " Can you do it ?" " When can you have it done ?" " Okay " doesn't mean " capable of doing it ." Because we often say " I can , " but that doesn't mean you will actually be able to do it .Sometimes we also hear people say , " I'll try ." Do you often find yourself saying , " I'll try " ?" I'll try " is not a commitment .But sometimes we also hear clients or colleagues respond to us by saying , " Okay ." " Okay " just means they heard you , not that they have done it .
So , when you often hear words like " okay , " " I'll try , " or " sure , " it doesn't mean they have truly done it , nor does it mean your communication has been fulfilled.So , we usually ask , " Can you finish this by Friday ?Is that doable ?" Instead , we should clearly ask , " What part can you resolve by Friday ?" When you ask , " Can you cooperate ?" You should ask in more detail , " To cooperate with this process , what information do you need us to provide ?" " Can you rush this ?" In a conversation like this , if you rephrase it to , " Without affecting the quality , which part can be drafted first ?"So , when you frame your questions this way , the other party will feel that things are much more concrete .
In the FBI negotiation book , there is a quote I’d like to share : " Use ' how ' and ' what ' to ask questions , so the other party cannot just answer yes or no , butwill be brought in to help solve the problem with you ."
Therefore , your method of questioning is usually crucial .Are you asking for a result , or are you asking to bring them in to solve the problem together ?So , don't just ask " Is it okay ?" instead ask " How can this be done ?" and " How can you truly achieve this ?" So , the core of this episode is four sentences I want to share with everyone .
总结出四个关键步骤：确认目标、找出问题、提出建议、确认完成时间，并说明这套方法适用于会议、邮件、汇报和客户沟通。最后以向主管汇报为例，强调让对方安心的不是过程描述，而是结果、风险管理与明确的下一步。
These four sentences are very practical for use in meetings , emails , LINE messages , reports to your supervisors , and every confirmation or communication with your clients .First , we need to determine what our goal is .We must share the same goal , rather than having me pursue one goal and you another .So , I make sure our direction and goals are aligned : What is our goal ?We both need to show the draft to the supervisor by this Friday .Right , that is the goal .Second , what is the problem we are currently facing ?In other words , what is currently holding us back ?Oh , the thing holding us back is that three data points haven't been confirmed yet .That is the problem we are facing .Now , after identifying the problem , the third step is to offer a suggestion .
Since we’ve hit a roadblock , I would suggest : can we share the available data we have with everyone now ?So , I have made this suggestion .Fourth , finally , we need to confirm when it can be completed ; this is the key point .Once you have asked these questions and achieved this level of communication , it truly hits the ground running .Okay , when will I finish it ?My task is to finish it by 5 PM today , and release the first version tomorrow .So , when you have asked these four sentences , everyone knows what the next step should be .I believe this method of communication is highly applicable to any interaction you have in the workplace .
So , before ending every communication , I think everyone should repeatedly ask themselves : What is our goal right now ?What is the problem currently holding us back ?And what is my suggestion for the next step ?We need to confirm who will complete what task by what time .These four sentences are appropriate for every communication .When you break down all issues into these four questions , I believe every interaction you have will be very , very effective .Alright , I want to share a third case with you , which is when you are reporting to your supervisor .Because I actually face this problem too ; when someone in my department reports to me , they will tell me , " I have already handled it ." Or they might tell me , " I've already spoken to them , " " I've already emailed them , " or " I'll follow up .
" I hear things like this often , and as a manager , hearing these things actually makes me uneasy .Why am I uneasy ?Because I haven't heard the results .A report that truly puts a manager at ease should include clear numbers : " For the first set of client data , I've already received 70 % , and the remaining financial figures and lists will be completed bythis time ." " I've already contacted the point of contact in that department to get the missing data , and if I don't receive it , I will take the following risk management measures ." Only when a manager hears these things can they truly feel at ease .Why ?Because I already know that you have a clear understanding of the current situation , and secondly , what is it ?You know what problems are currently occurring , where the gaps are , and most importantly , you know how to manage risks .
It means that if something happens , I have a plan for risk management .With risk management in place , I am very clear about what my next steps should be regarding this matter .
The value of communication isn't about how much you've said , but about making others feel clearer , more reassured , and more capable of making decisions about the next steps .
I think this is the true value of communication — it's not just about expressing yourself ; it's about actually communicating .Here , I want to leave you with three things to take away , three points to share with you .The first is : just because you spoke doesn't mean you've communicated .Only when there is action can it be considered effective communication .The second point : don't just ask if it's possible .Ask how it can be done .The third point : before every communication ends , you must confirm the next steps .Therefore , truly effective communication requires letting the other party know what the goal is , what the obstacles are , and what the next steps are .Who can complete what task and by when — that is what constitutes truly effective communication .Alright , in the next episode , I want to share with you how to deal with difficult people in the workplace — don't be in a rush to persuade them right away .
Actually , I think we all encounter such difficult people , or sometimes we might be the difficult ones ourselves , so where exactly does the problem lie ?
Is it because the other person — or perhaps we ourselves — are being unreasonable ?I’m sure that’s not the case , so in the next episode , I want to share with him where exactly the problem lies .Is he really that difficult to communicate with ?So , in the next episode , I’d like to share this topic with everyone .Alright , these are our company’s LINE customer service , our YouTube channel , and our official website .Please follow and subscribe to our trends channel .Our videos will be posted periodically .Thank you everyone .