As a leader, one of the most important way we show up and get work done is through communication – written or spoken. So, the impact that we have depends a lot on how well are we able to communicate.
Stated in another way, the impact we have as a leader depends on how well do people we communicate with understand and act on it in a way that you expect them to.
So, we need to learn not to communicate the way we like to but in the way that the people whom we lead are able to hear, understand and act upon.
Verbal Communication
I recently watched a TED-Ed video about the same which laid out a 5 step process for anyone to help others hear them. You can watch the video here. Watch the video if you have the time (its just 8 mins long).
Here is what the video talks about:
Make Eye Contact
Looking at someone in the eye starts a snowballing of neuro-chemicals in our physiology, which leads to many interesting changes in our psychology. We tend to trust the people who are willing to look into our eyes directly when talking to us and mistrust those who look away.
Be vulnerable (appropriately)
All communications are directed and have a clear point that we want to make (inform, inspire or influence). If there is a way for us to be vulnerable in this context, it is good to do so. Vulnerability generates trust. It is even more effective, if it is done in a light hearted and in a self effacing way that is humorous as well.
Park your Ego
As I mentioned right at the start, it is not about us but about the people whom the message is for. So, it is important to park our ego at the door while crafting the piece of communication. It is not about how much we know. It is not about how well do we know. It is about what do they need to know.
Tell a story
Stories (when told well) transmit the ideas that are both well transmitted and better received. When told well, they also transmit emotional states from us to the people who hear it.
We need to be careful with this one and not overuse this for all situations as stories lose power when used precariously. Use stories appropriately and tell it well. If that means that we need to practice by ourselves, we should do that.
Be yourself / authentic
In most situations, being true to our self is the best thing to do. By doing so, we are not only showing up as an authentic leader but we also reduce the cognitive load on our brains to keep up a persona, which can be better used to solve a problem or work on the communication that we are working on.
Written Communication
While all of these are great when it comes to verbal communication, there are a different set of recommendations that we need to follow if we are using written communication.
So, here are a few recommendations that in my experience have helped me create impactful written communication.
Why should they care
The first and the most important thing for our message to do its job is for the audience to be open and ready to receive it. They need to care about the message (appropriately).
Do we know why do they care about this? The answer of this question could lie anywhere on the spectrum between “No, they don’t care (yet)” to “Their livelihood depends on this”. Knowing this helps us craft a message that can make them care at the appropriate level.
Clarity is Key
Written communication has some very peculiar characteristics. Since you are not present to clarify any questions or doubts that the readers might have upon reading your message, it is critical that we anticipate that in advance and the message stands on its own.
The only way we do this is if we as the person who is crafting this message are very clear on what we want to communicate, what we want the message to do (inform, inspire or influence) and also think about what else would the recipient need in order for the message to have the intended effect.
The language we use needs to be simple, crisp and without jargons.
Appropriately Long
The length of the message needs to be appropriately long – just long enough to do its job and convey the message clearly. If that is two sentences, so be it; if that needs two pages, so be it.
There is no standard length of any written messages. We need to remove everything that doesnt help us land the message the way want to land, ruthlessly.
There are three processes involved in writing – thinking, writing and editing. Sometimes, we combine the thinking and writing part, which is only ok, if we spend enough time to edit it well.
Good writing is usually a function of good editing.
One message, One Piece of Communication
One of the biggest mistake that we do in written communication is that we use one piece of communication to communicate multiple ideas or land multiple messages.
The only golden rule I follow in all my written communication is one message per piece of communication. If that means that I write 5 pieces of communication to the same set of people, as a result of the same meeting, so be it. If the message is important and I want it to land well, it needs a separate vehicle.
In conclusion
We need to know how many of these elements are needed in any piece of communication and use them appropriately.
If we are trying to inform people about a new policy, albeit an important one, we use a different combination of these recommendations than if we are trying to inspire them to take on a difficult assignment that might require them to learn new skills and will get them to work harder and longer or influence them to volunteer for a special project or adopt a new IT system.
