Quick Fire Top 10: Communication Tips

Here's a quick fire top 10 tips for successful communication and inspiring others.

#1 Simplicity

Use simple and clear language to convey your message and avoid using complex terms that confuse. Less is sometimes more. Don't use technical terms or industry-specific language that may alienate your audience. Instead, use simple and relatable language that everyone can understand. With this in mind...see tip #2

#2 Know your audience:

Understand your audience and their interests, needs, and preferences. This will help you tailor your message, format and channels to reach them at the right time, right place and in the right format. What do they really care about? Whats happening in their world right now? whats important to them?

#2 Be clear on your motivations:

Why are you communicating this message? whats the underlying reason, why you, why now? Is it authentic?

#3 Have a clear ask / call to action:

Ensure you are specific on what you are asking. Is there a specific action you would like them to do?

#5 Share the vision:

Paint a clear and compelling picture of your longer term vision of the future. Use this to inspire your audience and help them to understand how their involvement can contribute to this and deliver it.

#6 Impact and Benefits:

Focus on the specific benefits to your audience. What's in it for them and others.

#7 Promote your shared values:

Talk about common values and beliefs you all share to create common ground, and build a stronger connection and relatability with your audience. Starting from a point of common ground will allow you to bring more people with you and reduce opposition.

#8 Use storytelling to bring you message to life:

Story telling is extremely powerful when deployed well. Tell stories that resonate with your audience and highlight the importance of your message, its impact and why you are saying it. This will make your message more relatable and memorable. Avoid telling stories just as ice breakers that aren't related to the purpose of your message.

#9 Use other people stories:

By sharing other people's experiences and stories it add granularity to your message, enhances relatability and the compelling reason of why you doing what you are doing. Talking about other peoples experiences can bring to life and validate the importance of a cause, the real life impact or serve to create a sense of community with your audience.

#10 Highlight your creds

Do you have subject matter expertise, competencies and strengths that are applicable to your cause. If so, lean on them in your messaging. This will help to build confidence and trust with your audience that you know what you are talking about.

Iain is the Co Founder and Managing Partner of The Change Arc, a strategic communications agency and community dedicated to unleashing changemaker potential. After 20 yrs in the media and communications industry, Iain now focusses his time developing individual changemakers and organisations communication capability and connecting this with strategy to effect positive change.

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