Why don’t people listen?

After a long day of battling NIMBYs and educating people about the benefits of development (you know, all that money that new homes and jobs bring to an area), one gets home, collapses onto the sofa and turns the TV on for a bit of relaxation. Something to take your mind off the endless games on NIMBY bingo… “Every house will have 10 cars” and “I have to wait three years to see my GP” and “It will ruin the view from my bathroom’s frosted window and devalue my house”…

So, I turned on the TV and a fiery debate was raging between seven politicians. All slinging mud and stating the case of why they should win the election… and I honestly just didn’t have the energy or inclination to listen to them. We have an electoral system that means one of the two main parties will win and until our voting system is changed, these little parties have virtually no influence.

So, I flicked through the channels (I am very privileged, I am not as deprived as the poor Prime Minister, I have Sky… well Freeview) and stumbled across an old episode of Fawlty Towers. Now, before you crack the joke, I will do it for you… Yes, I am basically Basil Fawlty… I am cynical and listen to Brahms’ “third racket” and most importantly, get very annoyed with stupid people.

It was the “Communication Problems” episode… or better known as the one with Mrs Richards – the lady who had the hearing aid she refused to turn on (it runs the battery down) and then ironically asked “why don’t people listen anymore?” The whole episode is dedicated to miscommunications and how Mrs Richards perceives the world that is ever so slightly different from the reality. She is obsessed with the price her house in Brighton will sell for (£87,500 and not a penny less… those were the days, eh?) and complains about the view from her window (Basil asks her what she thought she would see from a Torquay window? Krakatoa erupting or the hanging gardens of Babylon?)

It is a really good case study of how important it is to communicate clearly and effectively. The first question you should ask is “To whom am I communicating ?” i.e. who is the audience? The second element is “Am I getting my message across?” and the third is you have to expect some people to be difficult… that is what they do and losing your rag with them in the style of Basil Fawlty is not the way to do it… You may recall the whole episode doesn’t end well for poor old Basil when he has to hand over his winnings to Mrs Richards for a broken vase.

The politicians would be well advised to think about whom they are talking to and how they are talking to them and anticipate how they would react. The same goes for planning applications. If you don’t communicate your message clearly and effectively to your target audience, you are unfortunately going to end up like Basil Fawlty… out of pocket!

Until next week.

Henry