10 tips for great communication

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

posted by Sue Heuman Share

Companies and organizations in today’s global economy work very hard to convey information, capture the audience’s attention and inspire behaviours or attitudes to support their business objectives.

In reaching out to their customers and audiences, however, most organizations are too focused on what they want to say, not what the audience needs to hear. Many employees write from a ‘we’ perspective – ‘we do this’ and ‘we do that.’ And, despite their best efforts, it’s very difficult for employees to change this approach even if they are aware that there is a better way.

Why? Because employees are the organization, and as much as they try to put themselves in their customers’ shoes, they know too much. They have too much background knowledge, and the links and connections that hold meaning inside an organization are meaningless outside. This deep knowledge of the product or service usually leads to them trying to say too much. We call it “telling everybody, everything, all the time.” And it fails every time, because people just don’t care as much as you do about your stuff.

One of the best things writers can do is to turn their perspectives around so that they start with the answer to the question, ‘so what?’ Write interesting, compelling text that provides enough to engage the reader without overwhelming.

Here are some tips to help you communicate what your audiences need to hear:

• Do identify what you are trying to achieve, and tailor your message to the audience.
• Do start with WIIFM – what’s in it for me – from the audience’s perspective, not the company’s. Find out what’s important to your audience and address it first.
• • Do outline the basic information in short, punchy sentences. Avoid long, complicated sentences filled with jargon. Generally, any sentence with more than two commas is probably too long.
• Do write in the third person. Not “We are a Fortune 500 company...” which just begs the question, “who is ‘we?’” Instead, write “ABCDEF Corporation is a Fortune 500 company...”
• Do add some excitement! When writing, ask yourself, “is this something I would want to read?”
• Do include clear steps that the audience can take. Make it easy for your audience to buy/support/donate/whatever... right away.
• Do include charts, graphs, diagrams and other visuals to enhance and support your text. Supporting visuals should add value, not just be a pretty picture to occupy space.
• Don’t get bogged down in the details. Keep information clean, clear and succinct.
• Don’t re-create the history of the project/product/initiative – no one cares. Provide just enough background for context only.
• Don’t leave the reader asking more questions than you’ve answered. Make sure the information is complete and offers a rounded view of the topic.

And, of course, it’s critical to include a link or contact coordinates for more information.

It’s difficult to gain and sustain people’s attention these days. When you do have their eyes, ears and hearts – even for just a few brief moments – be prepared to make the most of the opportunity.
 

 

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