It never ceases to amaze me, that in this brand new frontier of career change, there is so much of my past experience and training that I can use in my new role as a coach/trainer. I originally trained as a lawyer and one of the things we had to learn to do, was read a case and extract the 'ratio decidendi'. Although it sounds fancy, it just means the main point of the case. Bearing in mind that judgements in court cases can run to pages and pages of legal opinion, you'd better be able to extract the main point of the case, otherwise you'd never be able to use one case to support another, ever again (ok I'm exaggerating a bit)
In order to communicate effectively, we also need to have a main point or a central message. What is the one thing you want your audience to remember from your presentation or speech? Given that most of us forget most of what we hear very quickly, as effective communicators, we need to ensure that our central message is clear and compelling enough for our audience to remember. It's got to be so memorable, that your audience just can't get it out of their heads!
The best kind of core message in my mind though, is one that actually becomes a slogan. Who can forget Muhammad Ali's "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" or Nike's "just do it"? I'm not sure if they started as slogans or central messages, but whatever the case, they are just indelibly printed on your mind and whenever you hear them, you just remember the individual or company. Are we all going to be able to come up with such memorable central messages? Probably not, but when we prepare properly for our presentations, we can come up with something our audience will remember and hopefully take away with them. Once you've got a core message, then use every other point to support it and it makes your whole presentation that much more compelling.
So people, that's my central message today: make sure you have a central message.
Would you like some help becoming a more effective communicator? Call us on +234 706 335 0864 or contact us through this blog.
Until next time, speak up, because the world needs to hear your voice.
I have a confession to make...I am a huge fan of children's animated films. Shrek? Madagascar? Happy Feet? Been there, seen them all ( about a million times each actually). The good thing about them is that although they are ostensibly meant for children, they also cater for the adults who bring the children to the cinema too. To be honest, I don't think either of my nieces understand why their mum and I laugh hysterically at some of the one liners in Madagascar (or at least I hope not)
These films are a really good illustration of my first point in today's post, which is "you need to know who your audience is". The reason you need to know your audience, is so you can tailor your message to suit them. If those animated films hadn't engaged me, I would have been reluctant to take my nieces to the cinema. Because the studios had done their job so well, I secretly looked forward to the sequels, even more than the children did. The film makers were smart enough to realise that they had 2 audiences and they needed to satisfy both. And that's exactly what you need to do, as an effective communicator. Get to know your audience and deliver what they need/want.
In getting to know your audience, you need to ask yourself things like: "what do they want to know?", "what do they need to know?", "what problem do they need solving?", "what value can I add here?" I like to think of it as the "no question left unanswered" test. Good communication answers all or at least the most important questions the audience has. If we don't get this bit right, it's like giving a brilliant speech in French, to people who only speak Spanish. You can see how that would be a bit frustrating for both parties!
Lastly, we need to think about what could prevent our message from getting through. I call this one the "obstacle course". It could be about the language we use. Is it accessible? Are we using a lot of jargon? Are we using a lot of idiomatic expressions, that non native speakers may struggle with? At other times, it's simply the subject matter. You need to communicate on a subject that's seemingly been done to death! One such example is leadership. It seems like everywhere you go, there's someone talking about leadership. In those circumstances, one way to handle it, is tackle the ubiquity of the subject head on. Acknowledge the fact that the topic's been done before, but that you're going to put a fresh spin on it. Of course, if you promise that, make sure you deliver, otherwise you'll be left with a very disgruntled audience.
So, there you have it. This week's communication tip, that will hopefully help you to become a more effective communicator. I hope that it answered some or at least the most important questions you have about how to be a good communicator. I hope it also got over the "oh no, not another communication tip" obstacle.
Would you like some help getting started on becoming an effective communicator? Call us on +234 706 335 0864 or contact us through the blog.
Until next time, speak up, because the world needs to hear your voice.
I am a huge fan of romantic comedies and anything by Richard Curtis, usually hits my sweet spot (don't judge me!). One of my favourites is 'Love Actually' it's not as great as Four Weddings and a Funeral, but it's up there. One of the stories in the ensemble piece is about an English writer, who falls for his Portuguese housekeeper. Unfortunately, he can't speak Portuguese and she can't speak English. Result? A lot of crossed wires as they try to communicate- unsuccessfully! And that's generally what happens when we don't get our message across effectively, be it written or spoken. We mean one thing, but the audience hears something else. In this piece, I'd like to share my number one preparation tip, to help you communicate effectively.
Before we write or say a word, we need to be clear about why we are communicating. There are all kinds of reasons that we communicate. To educate; to inform; to encourage or even to put someone else down. Whatever the reason, you need to know what it is, because it does 3 things.
It helps you to:
(a) be a more effective communicator;
(b) work out the points you need to make and
(c) pick the right approach.
I don't know what you think, but I don't think anyone sets out deliberately, to be a poor communicator. I think it's usually a combination of a lack of confidence and/or training. I'm sure we've all heard some really eloquent speakers and thought "I wish I could speak like that". The truth is, whilst we can't all be amazing public speakers, we can all get better, with some practice. I originally trained as a lawyer and one of the things we were taught was to "start with the end in mind". We needed to think about what we wanted the jury to believe, by the time we finished our case. That's a brilliant piece of advice and one that I follow, even to this day.
Following on from that: when you know why you are communicating, it helps you to identify your key points. There's really nothing worse than someone droning on and on, completely irrelevantly! Once you know why you are communicating, everything you say and do should support that. That way, you engage your audience, instead of causing them to mentally take a holiday during your talk. Think of it as putting yourself in the position where you are able to answer every question, your audience didn't know they had.
Finally, knowing why you are communicating, helps you to get your tone right. The best talks/ pieces are humorous, without necessarily having any jokes in them. There's nothing worse that watching a joke fall flat, because it was directed at the wrong audience. Leave the stand up comedy to the professionals is my advice. Use more or less humour depending on what you are saying, to whom and why.
A lot of people are nervous about public speaking or writing a speech and it can be pretty daunting. However, with some handy tips and some practice, I think we can all get better at it. I certainly owe a debt of gratitude to Mr Akash Karia, a wonderful public speaking coach. Who knows, you may even grow to love it!
Would you like to become a better communicator? Contact us by phone on +234 706 335 0864 or by email.
Until next time, speak up, because the world needs to hear your voice.
Welcome to mywordworx, your one-stop shop for all your communication needs.
I have loved reading since I was a child and have recently discovered a love of writing too. I am passionate about helping people's voices to be heard, because I believe that everyone has something to say.
I can help you become a more confident public speaker, write more effectively or edit what you have already written.
Contact me by email at mywordworx@gmail.com or by phone on +234 706 335 0864 and let's begin the journey to having the world hear your voice.
