Shaadi.com founder Anupam Mittal recently shared one of the “biggest gaps” he noticed after moving back to India from the US.
The Shark Tank India judge claimed it is not talent or even effort.
Anupam Mittal shares no.1 reason Indians fail to communicate clearly
“Fear of embarrassment leading to ineffective communication,” he remarked.
“Just…confusion,” he mentioned in a LinkedIn post. “We’d align on a direction. Clear enough, or so I thought. Then the work would come back, completely off,” he added.
According to Mittal, in the US, people are not embarrassed to ask if they do not understand something. “Can you explain again?” they say.
“No shame,” the entrepreneur opined. “In fact, it’s seen as a strength. Coz responsibility of communication lies with the ‘communicator’.
Why is effective communication important?
Mittal said that Indians would nod smilingly and say, “haan haan, samajh gaya,” even when they have no clue about the matter.
This is how we do something opposite as expected!
“I used to think this was about English, or confidence,” he shared. “But it runs deeper.”
The CEO further said that the responsibility of communication lies with the ‘communicatee’.
Most Indians grow up in environments where asking questions is considered a sign of weakness.
“That if you don’t understand, it’s your fault,” he wrote. “This cuts across levels – from junior execs to senior leaders.”
As always, the Shaadi.com boss suggested doing 3 “simple” things to solve the issue that he has learnt to do.
These are:
1. Ask people to repeat what they understood
2. Watch body language, especially the over-enthusiastic nodders
3. Raise the temperature in the room to encourage confrontation
“Because more than articulating well, the purpose of communication is being understood well,” Mittal concluded.
Interestingly, in another LinkedIn post, he shared 2 basic skills, a student should learn if they aspire to be an entrepreneur.
Admitting that there is no single formula, the Shaadi.com founder said if an individual has these “two superpowers”, they can become an impactful entrepreneur.