Avoiding Miscommunication

Within the sports films industry, it’s all about attention to the detail. It's all about engaging and connecting with fans. Nevertheless, the collaboration and communication that happen beforehand, along with what appears on screen, can be equally valuable and important. This makes miscommunication, especially in the digital world, a hidden yet dangerous threat.

The "Avoiding Miscommunication in a Digital World" podcast from Harvard Business Review explains how this happens. The convenience of digital tools like email and text create a sense of urgency in interactions. However, they also strip away tone and body language, which are vital in direct communication. Consider how many times you’ve misjudged someones text message due to not understanding their tone when they wrote the message. Without those cues, intentions are misunderstood and people tend to assume the worst. That initial misinterpreted message can significantly decrease the story's impact.

Miscommunication in Sports Film

In the sports film world, miscommunication isn’t always noticeable. Within the process, here are some examples of things that could happen or throw the message off:

• Post Production Confusion

  • When a director says, "pacing doesn’t match," editors often recut footage when slower music is all that is needed.

• Gametime Hiccups

  • Vague notes like, "Make it more hype" leave the editor guessing and scrambling to overhaul the video at the last minute before it goes out for viewing.

• Audience Misinterpretation

  • The tone of the caption is also critical to a hype video. The tone of the caption can change excitement into a backfire.

• Documentary Narratives

  • A team that cannot get aligned can take a story that is meant to inspire and make it feel judgmental or even hurtful.

The podcast offers valuable insights on how to address this issue and they apply directly to the context of sports film. For internal teams, sharing video clips or short voice memos can move past any ambiguity more quicker than a series of emails can. There is also strength in bringing warmth into communication. Things like emojis and behind-the-scenes content can help remind viewers there are people behind the messaging. For sports film, things like an athlete joking around in practice or a producer casually explaining why they are passionate about a story. These type of components not only help reduce miscommunication but build genuine connections, which all fans are craving.