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How many times have you received an email or sat through a presentation thinking that the sender wasn't giving you what you needed to know or hear? Perhaps you've even sent communications yourself and then realized, looking back, that you hadn't properly understood your audience and their needs. The objective of all communication is to get your message across to others clearly and without misinterpretation. Here we provide practical advice on how you can ensure that all of your key messages are fully understood and absorbed by your audience.
The communication of key messages involves:
- being clear on your message - what you are saying and why you are saying it
- understanding your audience(s) and what they want to hear
- transmission - deciding on the right medium for your message and picking the right time to send it
- checking understanding
The Message
The message is the information you, as a sender, want your audience to receive and understand. When compiling your message, consider your objectives (i.e. what you want to achieve and why). For example, are you trying to raise awareness of a new product or service? Are you communicating a departmental or organizational success story? Or perhaps you're imparting bad news?
The message itself should be clear, straightforward and to the point. Messages that are lengthy, poorly organized or full of mistakes run the risk of being misunderstood or, worse, completely ignored. Use plain English, avoid jargon and ambiguous words and phrases, and get to the heart of the matter within the first couple of sentences.
Your Audience
It is important that you establish your target audience, bearing in mind that there may be more than one, so that you can tailor your message appropriately. A simple way to identify your audience is to carry out a stakeholder analysis exercise. [1] Next, decide on your hook - what is going to make them buy into your message? To do this, put yourself in their shoes and ask:
- what do your audience need to know?
- what do they want to know?
- what is their preferred means of receiving information?
- what could prevent them from listening to your message?
- will they have any concerns?
The better you know your audience, the easier it will be to craft a message that meets their requirements and which is properly understood.
Transmission
Depending on the objectives of your communication, select the delivery channel and media to deliver your message to the best advantage. There are probably several different communication channels you could use in your organization across a wide variety of media, such as email, newsletters, noticeboards, briefings, intranet articles, blog posts, podcasts, corporate events etc. However, as a general rule, the more buy-in, support, and change that is required, the more important it is to deliver your message using a face-to-face delivery method.
Other issues to consider when selecting your delivery channel include:
- time and cost
- speed and urgency - how soon do you need to get your message out there?
- detail - how complex does your message need to be?
- shelf life - will the message disappear as soon as it has been imparted, or will people be able to listen to it again? Do you have alternative means of delivering the message?
- consistency - does it meet the standards and style of other organizational communications?
Checking Understanding
It's always a good idea to invite feedback from your audience(s) to ensure that they have properly understood your message and to answer any questions they may have. Ensure that you allow people enough time to absorb the contents of your message and give them several means of following up with you, e.g. taking questions at the end of a presentation, via email, at a meeting, or in an online forum.
Conclusion
Good communication entails conveying messages to your audience clearly, without the possibility of misinterpretation. By understanding what your key message is, tailoring it to suit your audience, and communicating clearly and effectively, you are more likely to be heard, understood, trusted and respected.
References[1] Stakeholders are individuals or groups who are likely to be affected by a particular course of action; stakeholder analysis, therefore, is the act of identifying these individuals and groups and ranking them according to their impact on the course of action and the likely impact of that course of action on them.
