Five Steps to Better Communication
When evaluating the leadership potential of key talent, I have found that there is one reoccurring issue that is beginning to grow into a big problem: The inability to clearly communicate. In this brave new world revolutionized by quick bursts of informal communication, knee-jerk texting and instant messaging, well-thought-out, articulate communication skills are being lost. Below are five considerations to help you overcome these challenges to become a more effective communicator, and a better leader, as a result.
The one slide rule
It is critical for you to be clear, succinct and organized in all of your messages. To help with this, communicate everything as if you are limited to presenting only one slide on the topic. This rule forces you to filter your message down to only the key points, and succinctly organize that information. This self constraint of “one slide thinking” will encourage you to practice sorting through complex information and boiling it down to the key concepts without the cluster of superfluous words.
“Why is this important?”
Think before you speak. And, just before you speak, ask yourself, “Why is this important?” Craft your messages to focus on the two “I’s” - intent and impact - and deemphasize the details that simply explain. Communicating intent will keep you from going off on a tangent, and focusing on impact will ensure you are directly addressing what is important to the listener, which is why you are communicating in the first place!
KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid)
Communication needs to be relatable. Don’t try to over-impress with your SAT vocabulary. Use simple language that sorts through the complex and creates common ground with your audience. Communicating is dynamic enough in itself, so don’t try to complicate it by using complex sentence structures and unnecessary words. Simplify your delivery and always use the KISS rule.
Bullet points are your friend
It is important to always boil your message down to the critical few points – what are the barest bones you need to say what you need to say? Strive to be a person of few words while making every word count. To help do this, pretend you are writing bullet points in an email. This will help train your mind to summarize key concepts. Bullet point thinking forces you to sort through the complex details and get to the point, which will ultimately lead to better listener engagement.
Practice makes perfect
Non verbal, verbal, and written communications are all landmarks of being able to deliver an idea in an accurate, clear, and straightforward way. Each has its own nuances, but by subscribing to the above practices and using bullets, summarizing key details, and crafting more direct messages, your level of communication can drastically improve. And, of course, the more often you do it, the better you become at communicating clear and effective messages. Not all leaders are great communicators, but they all should aspire to be. It’s a critical skill that enables you to get your point across, build trust, and solicit support. In today’s data overloaded, emoticon-filled, informal Facebook and Twitter and text-messaging world, classic communication skills are often neglected at the risk of losing them forever. The people that continue to hone these skills will find themselves better equipped to be the leaders of the future.
