The Power of Clear Communication
Short version: be clear, intentional & thoughtful to get the most out of your interactions.
Long version:
How many times have you gotten an email or ended a phone call and wondered what the point of it was? Or how you should move forward? My guess: more than once.
How many times have you really appreciated a colleague or a boss that clearly maps out a plan, everyone’s role in making a project successful, and is thoughtful about asking questions along the way? Hopefully you’ve had the experience of enjoying these sorts of people, but if not, I’m sure your paths will cross.:)
The power of communicating clearly is, in my opinion, such an incredibly important tool. At the highest-level, if done right, clear communication can:
Build trust
Empower
Create efficiency
Is there nothing more frustrating than spending time wondering what someone meant by what they said, or having put in all this time into a project, only to find out the communicator’s intentions were totally different than what you tried piecing together?
Solve? Clear communication.
In my time supporting our HR leadership team in one of my more recent roles, I found an exciting opportunity to unify the way each leader communicated on behalf of HR so that messaging could be more clear, consistent, & concise. 3 C’s!
These tips are just a starting point, but in my experience allowed us to be more mindful of the way we wrote. Meaning, paying attention to word choice, ensuring we actually delivered the intended message, crafted the tone appropriately to the audience, and more.
This is what we came up with:
Define your audience. Are we including all appropriate parties?
Carefully consider the sender. Is it coming from the right place?
Create an enticing subject line. Be clear and professional.
Make it personal. Be thoughtful and try to add recipient or team names. Use “Dear” or “Hello” instead of “To those of you XXXX”.
Explain the “why”. Is the “why” obvious? Are the action items explicit?
Break it down. Steer clear of text-heavy messaging. Use lists, step-by-step instructions, and / or graphics to make it easy to digest & memorable.
Show support. Who can they go to for help? Sign off with contact information.
Give it your all. It’s corny, but is this the best it can be? Will the audience trust our intent & credibility?
Ask. And ask again. We all have different perspectives. Share with your peers for feedback.
Go! Hit send, or deliver the message in person, once it’s been thought through and you feel ready to go.
The above for SURE feel more related to professional life — specifically written communications. But, these can easily transfer over to personal. Look at the list again, and think about it in the context of sending someone a text that warrants a response, or trying to have a tougher conversation that may be weighing on you.
Are you being clear? Have you really thought through it?
Thoughtfulness + clarity + being direct always win in the end.
XO,
Renee
