Effective Communication
Ideas are the bedrock of achievement in the modern age of information.
Even if you have a brilliant concept, it won’t amount to much if no one else shares your enthusiasm for its implementation. Because of this shift, effective communication is no longer seen as a “soft talent” by the world’s most successful CEOs.
Successful leaders recognize the need of clear and concise communication, and they don’t just talk the talk. They instead devote themselves to mastering the craft in all its manifestations (whether it written, oral, or visual) by extensive study and practice.
Use Short Words
Difficulty understanding written ideas is exacerbated by long, convoluted sentences, which are mentally taxing and require a greater level of focus. Shortening your sentences and cutting out unnecessary words will win you more fans.
Grammatical checkers like Grammarly provide a numerical readability score to evaluate textual quality.
Samples of writing are graded according to the score. For instance, something is “extremely simple to read” if it can be understood by someone with the education level of an average American 13-year-old (at least an eighth-grade education).
This is not meant to indicate that you have the writing skills of a middle schooler.
What this implies is that your advanced arguments are not difficult to understand, and that others are more likely to be persuaded by your views since they are not difficult to grasp.
Using Metaphors
Metaphors are effective figures of speech that make it easier to understand complex ideas by drawing parallels to more concrete things. The best metaphors take listeners on a trip without having them physically move from their seats.
Metaphors help businesspeople convey intricate ideas in memorable, bite-sized chunks of language.
Warren Buffett knows the value of a well-placed metaphor. You’ve probably heard the term “moats and castles” used to describe corporations that have a stranglehold on an industry that is tough to break into if you spend any time at all paying attention to the stock market or business news.
“The most important thing we do is to find a business with a wide and long-lasting moat around it, protecting a terrific economic castle with an honest lord in charge of the castle.”
— Buffett famously declared at a Berkshire Hathaway meeting in 1995.
Buffett and his team employ a complicated system of data and information to analyze possible investments, and the “moats and castles” metaphor offers a succinct shortcut, a visual depiction of this system.
When presented with a novel or abstract concept, listeners will naturally look for a point of reference that will help them grasp the material. Beat them to the punch with a creative metaphor.
Data For Humans
Humanizing any data point by providing context is a certain way to lessen mental strain and increase interest in the information being presented.
Adding more mental load by showing them PowerPoint presentations full with facts and figures is counterproductive. Take the time to make your numerical examples interesting, memorable, and compelling wherever possible.
The key to effective science communication, according to renowned astrophysicist and educator Neil deGrasse Tyson, is to “embed the concept in familiar ground.” The facts must be translated into terms that regular people can comprehend.
Make Mission Your Mantra
If your mission statement gets filed away and forgotten, it won’t do anything to bring your team together. Most leaders fail to effectively convey their vision.
According to John Kotter, a professor at Harvard Business School, transformation is impossible until hundreds or thousands of individuals are prepared to contribute, which often requires them to make short-term sacrifices.
The mission becomes a mantra that they chant constantly. Mantras are statements or slogans that gain power via repetition. The effect is increased by the widespread use of modern forms of communication.
Use all of your company’s documents, emails, presentations, social media, and marketing materials to highlight the company’s mission.
Be an advocate for the values your purpose espouses.
Prioritize your mission above anything else.
