Lets start with customers. From research I have done with my own customers here are four factors, which in minds of customers would make your company great.

Compassion - approachable; dedicated; very personal; always helpful and responsive; committed always have time to discuss problem; and caring.

Communication - good at listening, express things in laymans terms, lucid, good at questioning, made it simple, and grasping real needs quickly

Integrity - gave fair answers to difficult questions, honest and straight, dependable, have integrity.

Delivering Stuff that Works - delivers what is really wanted or promised and that solution really does job, persistent, sticks with problem, practical, good at problem solving, identifying real problem, technically competent, knowledgeable.

Now lets consider what employees would deem to be a great company. Again by enquiring of my own staff here are four factors I have identified. Note, that above factors for customers also apply to your staff.

Challenge and Variety - constantly doing something new, always changing, constant challenge, and involvement in everything.

Doing Something Worthwhile - doing something good and worthwhile, feeling that we are really achieving something.

Gaining Skills and Experience - intellectually fulfilling, challenges all abilities and pushes comfort zones increases confidence, builds experience, and continuous education.

Influence - opinions valued, input on whats going on, have impact on success

Lastly, lets consider what owners or shareholders would deem as being a great business.

Obviously, if we want our communication to be effective, we have to be continually on our guard to detect such noise, whatever source. When we find it, we must drown it out. Or better still, eliminate it altogether.

Of course, before we can overcome such barriers, from wherever they come, we must be able to recognize them. When they take form of literal noise, they're usually easy enough to distinguish.

But what we don't appreciate enough is plethora of forms of metaphorical noise. In workplace, for example, we often find conflicting thoughts competing for attention.

Most business executives (and their secretaries!) are familiar with this type of scenario: boss may call for a certain file from filing cabinet, and be quite amazed that this simple request turns out to be so problematic.

He or she doesn't know this instruction has triggered an unexpected stimulus: ''File? Yes, I must remember to stop by store on way home to pick up a nail file...''

Then again, many executives fail to realize extent to which distrust can distort messages. A manager who routinely insists that every printing order is urgent, is not too likely to find receptive ears when time really is of essence.

Let's take a look at an incident in working lives of two very special imaginary characters - Mr Thompson, Chief Operating Officer of a flourishing corporation, and his work supervisor, Mr Brown..

This is a day for which Mr Brown has been waiting in very keen anticipation. Why?