Pat’s 12 Principles

How to communicate effectively:

1. Consider the mindset, culture, interests and communication style of the person or audience receiving your message: Who are they? What do they need? What do they want?

2. The content: be clear in your own mind about what it is you actually want to communicate.

3. The goal, the point: Why are you writing/ speaking/ phoning/ presenting?

4. The message: What is the “take away” for your listeners? What will they remember and take home from your communication? This makes the difference between making an impact and just being a waste of time.

5. Tell it like it is! Once you are clear about your message, you can convey it in simple, clear words and images. This is the narrative, the story, which your listeners can identify with.

6. Be humble. You are an expert, yes, but the audience also has knowledge and many acquired skills. Your goal is to connect with their expertise and their concerns so as to create a clear benefit for them. Service is worthy. We all serve each other in different ways. This is your chance to serve.

7. Elegant, fancy language may be suitable for some audiences, but be sure you speak or write in the way those receiving your message can accept and welcome. This is a vital part of knowing your audience. Words can mean different things to different people. What may be encouraging and exciting for some can be the opposite for others.

8. Be clear. Be aware of the meaning and the connotations of the words, expressions and images you use in the culture and milieu you are dealing with. Engineers think differently than artists!

9. Be inclusive. Each member of your audience, each individual who receives your email, letter or brochure is important. Be respectful of each one. Show them how you can assist them to reach a higher level, while honoring their own value.

10. Focus on others. Put yourself in their place. Communication is about the recipient. How can you make their lives or their job better, easier, more productive?

11. Present both logic and emotion. We make decisions based on our hearts and minds. The ideal solution is aligned with both. Connect the dots for the audience and lead them to a concrete beneficial outcome, while also addressing their needs as feeling human beings, who want to be accepted, successful and happy. Show them why the logical action is to their benefit.

12. Be human. We are all in this together, in our various roles and functions, with our personal dreams and fears. It is good to let them know you are just like them, trying your best and also dealing with a lot of issues.  All relationships, including business ones, work more smoothly and successfully when we work together as allies. Emphasize the “we” and the “us”. We are on the same side, whatever the issue is. We all want a positive outcome.