Three Ways to Communicate More Effectively
I don’t generally write “how-to” articles.
It’s just not my thing, and plus, life is a bit more complex than what can be covered in three or four bullet points.
But I’ve been getting a lot of questions recently about how I write articles and create presentations. Most questions come from existing leaders who want to communicate more effectively and extend their influence.
So here goes. This is how I do it.
It’s a simple process, but not easy. As with any craft, learning to communicate more effectively takes practice and experimentation. It’s hard work, at least it is for me.
Do what works for you and your audience.
Problem
This is the first step – identifying what is most important to your audience.
What is the source of their discomfort, their “pain point”? Just keep in mind, the challenge must be real, acutely felt by your readers or listeners, not an artificial challenge driven by a writer or speaker’s agenda.
If you want to create messages that resonate with your audience, you need to know what they care about. – Nate Elliot
Putting the audience first increases your credibility and influence because it lets the audience know you understand what they are experiencing and care about their wellbeing.
Remember, to lead well we must listen first.
Solution
This is the meat of your article or presentation. This is where you present a new way of looking at an issue or provide a set of methods/techniques the audience can begin using immediately to achieve their goals.
However you approach the topic, seek to make it awe-inspiring – the experience should cause the reader or listener to register an unexpected, positive, emotional response (think about the first time you saw the Grand Canyon or met a famous entertainer).
Psychologists call this “perceived vastness;” you and I might call it to “wonder.”
The second quality of an awe-inspiring experience is that it causes us to re-order our thinking about something. It causes us to “change the mental structures that we use to understand the world.”
This is called the “need for accommodation,” and it occurs when a presentation or article forces us to incorporate a new way of thinking into our established mental categories. For many, Simon Sinek’s famous TedTalk, “Start with Why,” was a “need for accommodation” moment.
Creating awe-inspiring content is difficult, and not always needed, but if you want to improve your impact and influence, it’s an important skill to develop.
Whatever you do, avoid jargon and be sure to share relevant stories, research, tips, and/or tools.
The goal is to connect with people’s hearts as well as their heads.
Action
This is where you give the audience an opportunity to reflect on the content you presented and what they need to do differently. It could be an embedded activity or a call to future action. Regardless of the approach, I try to leave the audience with the resources they need to take the next step on their journey.
So, that’s how I write articles or blog posts (like this one) and create presentations.
So, what do you need to work on?
What works for you?
