Effective
Communication: Here's How
I used to think, when I started my newsletter writing and publishing
service, that a newsletter's success depended on the quality of the
writing and design.
But, as I became more involved with my clients, and their expectations,
I realized I'd been wrong. The quality of writing might be good, bad, or
indifferent; they didn't really care. But, to them, effective
communication meant something else entirely: Getting the right responses
from their readers.
And, the more I thought about that, the more I realized that all
effective communication involves the right kinds or the right numbers of
responses.
When we communicate, we want something to happen. We want a particular
result or results. And, when we communicate with results in mind, we're
working toward effective communication.
Good writing and speaking do help us get a response, of course, because
they help get the message across. As I've argued in my book, A Manager's
Guide to Newsletters: Communicating for Results, a newsletter that
doesn't get read cannot get a response from readers.
So, writing, designing, speaking, and all those other creative
activities matter. But, in the end, responses are what count, and
effective communication means getting the responses we want.
This applies to all kinds of effective communication, and not just
campaigns aimed at customers or prospects. Managers who send messages to
employees, for example, want employees to respond in a particular way.
In some cases, they want employees to act or think differently, in other
cases they simply want to reinforce what the employees already do.
For a couple of employee newsletters I published, effective
communication meant greater awareness of health and safety issues. If
the newsletter communicated effectively, then it should have helped
reduce the number of plant accidents and helped employees lead healthier
lifestyles.
One more point: Effective communication cannot be achieved without
articulated objectives. As the old adage goes, "If you don't know
where you're going, any road will do." Or, as the inimitable Yogi
Berra put it, "If you don't know where you are going... You might
end up someplace else."
With that, let's create a quick and easy checklist that takes us through
seven basic steps required for effective communication:
1. Can you identify your goal, identify what you want a listener or
reader to do? Do you want more sales, reduced employee turnover,
renewals by members? Be specific about your objectives, and if you can
attach time and dollar values to them so much the better.
2. Can you articulate, in terms of your objectives, what you want
listeners or readers to do? What action should they take? What thoughts
do you want in their minds? Do you want to reinforce existing thinking
or behaviors?
3. Understand why they would respond to your message. It's all very well
for you to have objectives and to send messages, but you'll also have to
offer something to them, something they value. Think of commercial
broadcasting, in which you get free entertainment in exchange for
listening to (and sometimes responding to) commercials.
4. What message content will motivate them to act? What subjects will
prompt them to act? For effective communication, look for topics that
engage and motivate readers or listeners.
5. How will you present that content? There are several editorial
choices that affect effective communication: entertaining, informing,
consulting, challenging, and solving problems.
6. How often will you have to repeat the message? In many cases, you'll
need multiple contacts to get the response you want. Sales people, for
example, generally figure on an average of seven contacts before a
prospect becomes a client or potential client.
7. Will you get enough revenue to cover the cost of communicating (if
you put numbers to your objectives)? In a marketing context, for
example, how many sales would you have to make to pay the cost of your
advertising campaign?
In summary, aim for effective communication by following these seven
steps. They move us in the right direction because they force us to
think about reader and listener responses. And, when we focus on
responses, we're much more likely to get the results we want.
About The Author
Robert F. Abbott,
author of A Manager's Guide to Newsletters: Communicating for Results
will help you increase your mastery of business communication with
easy-to-understand articles at http://www.communicate-with-confidence.com.
Dozens of articles about workplace, marketing, and other business
communication issues.
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