For A Clearer Message, Take An Extra Few Seconds
More and more we’re seeing retractions, apologies and clarifications of something that was said or published. There’s virtually no time required for the mechanics of getting a message out, so there’s no automatic breathing room to consider the meaning and impact of what we’re saying.
A great message communicated with the best intentions is of no value unless it’s received in the right way by the intended audience. How many times have we put something out there we feel passionately about, hoping and expecting it will be understood and appreciated, only to learn it landed wrong or didn’t make the trip at all. Sometimes, when you’re in a small group you can see the confusion and you can double-back and clarify. But what about when you’re talking to a large group? Or typing an email or an article you’re about to post? It’s all on you to make sure the message gets where you want it to go without helpful feedback and the opportunity to adjust.
Take a little time to:
1. Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine you’re in one of those seats or at your laptop reading your own post or email. Record a key segment of your speech and play it back. Save a draft of your post or email and read it as you’d expect your recipient to do. Consider other messages, particularly on emotionally charged issues in the news, that are still hanging out there and may pre-condition your audience to interpret something you say in a different way.
2. Pay attention to your choice of words. Is your language consistent with the way people normally talk? Are you using only as many words as you need? Are you using expressions whose meaning may differ depending on region or generation. Use the word that means what you want to say, not one that’s often mistakenly used in its place. (Google inspiration vs. influence. How many times have you heard an artist, musician or writer use the wrong one to describe the effect on their own work of someone they admire?)
3. Consider your tone. Is it compelling without being irritating? There’s a fine line where impassioned rhetoric starts to sound desperate and even wacky. When you cross that, you’ve lost them.
4. Prepare your audience for the main point. (Tell the audience “If you only remember three things, they are…” I’ll bet most people pick up their pens, ready to capture those three things you’re about to list.)
5. Are you using examples to illustrate your point? Use a mini-story to create a context people can relate to.
6. Were you respectful of the time and attention of your audience or readers? Did you spend no more time than necessary, summarize the main points and finish?
Then sit back and ask: “If I were out there, would I have received the message with the meaning and impact exactly as I intended?”