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Mar 27, 2014

Everything is Communication

Written by Anthony Demangone

If you help lead an organization, you are communicating 24/7.  The way you talk. Walk. Dress.  It all says something. 

 Abe knew a thing or two about communicating.

That's why I enjoyed the following article, It doesn't matter what you know, if you can't communicate. (GeorgeAmbler.com).

The article lists eight wonderful habits of great communicators.  I'll share two that caught my eye.

3. Make the WIIFM Clear

All communication is personal. People will interpret your message from within their unique perspective and circumstance. This means you must to answer their WIIFM question – “What’s In It For Me?”. Effective communication resonates with the needs and concerns of the audience. Your communication will be successful if you answer the WIIFM question early and often.

How often I forget this! Everyone sees the world through through their own eyes, not mine. What is in it for them? 

8. Communicate with Three Goals in Mind

When leaders communicate they do so with the following three goals in mind:

  1. Inform: This is the rational part of your message. This requires that you address the why, what, how as appropriate. Communication needs to inform the audience by making the message simple to understand and clear as to the implications.
  2. Inspire: This is the emotional part of message. Effective communication inspires by providing a compelling picture of the future, supports a meaningful purpose.
  3. Engage: Communication is necessary but not sufficient. To engage people your message must also include a call to action. What are the next steps? What actions are you expecting people to take? What changes are you asking for?

Thinking of the leaders I get to work with, a number of faces come to mind when I look at that list. Inform. Inspire. Engage.  Some people just have that gift. Interactions with them leave you with a skip in your step.  If you can inform, inspire and engage, even some of the time, that's power. 

I encourage you to review the whole article. How many of the eight are you doing? 

 

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