Clear, concise communication has become as vital as air and as rare as great service at a fast-food drive-through. We are overwhelmed by words, pushed at us so insistently, and often with our permission. And yet, we keep seeking more.
We want to know more and understand more. We want maps and photos and bios and video and quotable quotes. We want instant coverage, and we give instant feedback. We expect that news we read a decade ago can be found with a simple search.
We also want our community leaders and our bosses to communicate clearly, openly and directly because we want to help them make good decisions about our future – but people find it difficult to tell us just what we need to know.
A few months ago, I attended a meeting about an important subject, one the community should care about deeply. The meeting planners wanted a large crowd, and they needed the crowd to be persuaded to change their behavior and to support additional spending on a project.
Unfortunately, only a few citizens attended the meeting. Multiple speakers shared important information, but the slides had lots of details and were difficult to read from the back of the room. In some cases, they repeated each others’ data and delved into scientific details well beyond the expertise of the crowd.
The people who attended were very interested in the subject, and the speakers and leaders were completely dedicated to doing a good job communicating their points. However, if the citizens only attend that one meeting on this subject, they probably still do not have a clear picture of the problem, and they may not have enough understanding of the real dilemma to share the information with their friends and neighbors.
This past week, I attended a great breakfast meeting with a speaker who used interesting stories, lots of photos and a conversational tone to educate us about an area nonprofit and to persuade us to become involved in some way – primarily as a volunteer or donor. She started by allowing members to discuss personal memories about the cause, which gave them a reason to care before she even began.
Afterward, the crowd buzzed with interest. They stayed to talk to the speaker, and started envisioning ways they could help individually and perhaps as a group.
The presentation was powerful because it persuaded, it excited, it educated – and it led to action.
The speaker at this week’s meeting had a clear strategy for her talk. She knew the audience. She understood our need to talk and discuss, and the kinds of examples that would move us. She accomplished her goal because she understood that more information is not the point.
It’s finding the real story amid all the words – and connecting with your listeners.
Have you seen or read a powerful example of clear communication this week? Share it in our comments section, or start a discussion on our Facebook page at GideonStone, LLC, Communication & Business Strategy.
