This is why I am writing to you: Your job is to communicate and enable others to communicate. Follow these rules to ensure your audience is going to receive what you send.
1. IT’S ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE.
Think about what they will hear, retain, understand and do. Remember the target discussion? Your audience likely remember three key points, help them! Emphasize the important points. Speak their language in memorable ways and listen to their concerns.
2. START WITH WHY.
Your audience will know what to listen for if you ensure they understand the problem needing to be solved. In their faces, present plainly, “This is why I am talking to you.”
3. PROVIDE JUST ENOUGH CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND.
Just enough, but enough. When a joke is funny, it’s because the listener understands the premise. Set up your punchlines by explaining the premise with the essential details – but only the required ones. Extraneous details distract from the premise and lose the listener. There’s a balance here, find it!
4. BE EFFICIENT.
Our only limited resource is time. When you have communicated enough information to enable understanding and action, you’re done. Your audience will appreciate shorter discussions, e-mails and posts. It might make you feel good to justify your existence but your audience cares about effects, not efforts. Basically what we’re saying is, when you’ve made your point, stop talking. Just. Stop. Talking.
5. TELL RELATABLE STORIES.
Once upon a time, and ever since, humans have communicated through stories. They work. They follow a formula – hero, jeopardy, resolution – and have the context necessary for understanding and retention. Your audience doesn’t remember yesterday’s shopping list. They all remember nursery rhymes from childhood. Can you imagine reading a list of commandments without a story to couple them all together? Oh.
6. BE THERE, FACE-TO-FACE IF POSSIBLE.
You’re an animal. So am I. The human animal picks up understanding through more than words – we message with our bodies and our souls. Make that connection and match your actions to your words. A discussion in person allows everyone to listen and learn; confirm shared understanding; and agree on the best way ahead. Look them in their eyes and smell their understanding.
7. COMMUNICATE BROADLY TO ENABLE THE COMMUNITY OF ACTION.
Fast and flat means asking who else needs to know and including them in the discussion. Different perspectives and insights produce breakthrough ideas. Increase opportunities for innovation and effectiveness by communicating widely. The more people you communicate to, the more people can spread your message.
8. COMMUNICATE CONSISTENTLY.
What you do is at least as important a message as what you say. Be deliberate in your messaging in every way you communicate. You have to use the same language among your staff that you use publicly. Your organization can’t afford to do one thing, while you say another. Don’t be this guy.
9. CONFIRM UNDERSTANDING.
Repetition and dialogue ensure understanding and enable learning. Identify and emphasize common themes so your audience can follow the ongoing story. If you’re not sure if your audience understands, ask them.
Do you understand?
There are 9 commandments here, see rule 4.
