Communicating effectively is much more than using the correct words-it is affected by frame of reference, emotional state, context or situation, body language, and communication style. Race, culture, religion, class, and gender may also play a role. The aim of communication is to transmit thoughts or information in the hope that what we say is clearly understood, and that the recipient will respond appropriately. However, it is not usually quite as simple as this (Poole & Walter, 2002). The interplay of the mentioned factors usually affects the way in which the message is interpreted.

Communication is particularly significant in organizations, where many people need to coexist and work together. Effective communication is the organization's most important skill, as it is required in all aspects of organizational function. People require relevant information that enables them to carry out their responsibilities. Information is needed at all levels for identifying, assessing and responding to risk, and obstructions due to ineffective communication can prove costly for the company.

A truly effective communicator can gauge how his or her communication will be received and is able to tailor it in such a way that the other person is truly receptive to what is said. While conducting a conversation, the communicator is able to accurately "read between the lines" and understand how the recipient is being affected, and can then guide the conversation so that it has the exact intended affect.

When you communicate, either you send the information or you transmit and receive signals. In other words, when you 'transceive' you are transmitting with full knowledge of the listener's frame of reference and mind, and how he or she will receive what you are saying. This entails talking with rather than at, and is more a meeting of minds and exchange of thoughts on the same plane. Otherwise, both sides will always be transmitting and may or may not connect. In other words, if you do not transceive, you are not in accord as your listener. If you transceive with an understanding of the recipient, you are effectively increasing engagement, as the other person can sense your insight and cannot fail to respond positively.

One of the obstacles to transceiving is that people tend to disregard the fact that the recipient may not share their thought processes and viewpoint. If perceptions and expectations are not met, what should be a true dialog will become merely two monologues. The recipient will be governed by their self-interest, by the identity of the speaker, and how the latter is communicating. The communicator needs to develop the finesse to keep the recipient's frame of reference in mind, so that his message is meaningful to the latter. It is immensely useful if there is some common area within the frame of reference that both can relate to. When you transmit in one direction, you are speaking at rather than with-which is often ego-driven with no consideration of the recipient's perspective.

Misunderstandings caused by misinterpreting or making assumptions about the words and actions of others can seriously damage work relationships. Effective communicators learn to validate any perceptions they have about others before they react.

Clear and direct communication, with few chances of being distorted along the way, is essential to convey what you really want to say. The children's game 'broken telephone' is an example of how things can go wrong, as the final message that emerges is usually unrecognizable, often gibberish. Now, if you put this into the context of an organization, it becomes quite worrying in terms of how the message can be distorted as it moves forward (Pinker, 2000).

When you tailor your conversation to what you feel the other person needs to hear so that you ensure a favorable outcome for yourself, this might be viewed as lying or manipulation. However, we all do it to some extent, whether knowingly or unknowingly-and look at it this way, if transceiving ultimately benefits you without causing any trouble for your listener, then you should go for it.

Ultimately, transceiving rather than transmitting can help you expand your sphere of influence and make an impact, whether you are a leader or an employee. You will be combining excellent communication skills with a finely tuned intuition about the situation and your recipient's frame of reference. If by doing this you can take communication from the level of 'good communication' (which does involve transmission to some extent) to the better level of transceiving, then the sky is the limit in terms of success. So, would you like to go on being a transmitter, or do you think you ought to begin transceiving?

REFERENCES
Pinker, Steve. (2000). Words and Rules: The Ingredients of Language. Harper Personnel

Poole, M., & Walther, J. (2002). Communication: Ubiquitous, complex, consequential. Available online at: http://www.natcom.org/research/monograph.htm.