You talking to me?

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.