In business, you’ve likely heard the common phrase “less is more” and “bigger is not always better.” This is so true when it comes to being clear and communicating your message internally, to your team, and to customers and clients. In sales, confusion generally results in overwhelm and a “no,” and this pretty much rings true in how confusion lands in a team. When employees are not clear on the vision or purpose, goals, and expectations you can pretty much guarantee the result will be disengagement or resistance.
There is good news!
When you communicate clearly, you create opportunities for your team to see where they/their skills fit into the plan, they understand the details of what is expected, and, they are more likely to engage or even become champions for what it is you are wanting to achieve. You can build a foundation for success simply by being clear.
Foundations for being CLEAR:
- Communicate your project and expectations in a way that is focused, easy to understand, builds interest, and helps the team see where they fit in.
- Leave fluff, distractions, and unnecessary information out of the dialogue.
- Engage the person early. Don’t make the conversation a monologue; find a point of interest that will help people embrace the information.
- Ask questions to get the person or team engaged in the conversation. Avoid acronyms and terms that are not general knowledge or are trigger words/terms.
- Repeat and remind the team of the most important details being discussed in different ways as you close the conversation.
When you are preparing to deliver important information to your team that requires their commitment, support, and engagement, it is important to work on scripting your “presentation.” Far too often people “wing it” and the result is ambiguous explanations that lead to assumptions or rumours.
Here are additional tips to communicate in a CLEAR way:
- Identify the 3 most important talking points about your message that need to come out right away.
- Keep the explanation to about 2-3 minutes. People will zone out after that. You don’t need to share all the details right off the bat, just a short description that peeks interest.
- Practice your explanation in the mirror at least 10 times (and refine and modify as you go).
Video yourself (use your cell phone) practicing so you can critique and modify. - Avoid acronyms and industry speak – these often decrease interest or ignite frustration if these acronyms and terms are “trigger” words.
- Make sure you have answered prepared for these open-ended questions that your team will ask you:
Who, what, where, when, why and how.
Remember… clarity is key!