6 lame excuses for not communicating

Why many organizations don’t make communication a priority—and what you can do to combat the problem.

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In 25 years I’ve heard every excuse there is for not making communication a priority in an organization. And I’ve heard them from every source: indifferent leaders, risk-averse lawyers, sluggish communication departments—you name it.

Here are some of the most common excuses. You’ve probably come across these in your own organization. Maybe you’ve even used them yourself a time or two. Here’s why they don’t hold water and how you can overcome them.

We can make it better

Do documents and publications in your company routinely get caught in a perpetual churn cycle, where people offer endless edits that add little in the way of real value?

That may be the sign of a dysfunctional organization. After all, if people are fussing over every detail of a speech or Web page for weeks or even months, how are they handling the really big decisions?

These so-called perfectionists mistake changes for improvements and activity for action. They missed the lesson on the 80/20 rule.

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