One-Size-Fits-All Communication—Rarely
One-size-fits-all works just about as well in presentations and documents as it does in shoes and swimsuits. But it’s an issue that crops up often. Here’s how a recent reader put it:
Dianna,
As a government civilian, I work in a large office environment surrounded by military members. Of 1,000+ people, there are 16 civilian employees. The military structure at the senior enlisted and officer levels really has become more corporate over the years. Still, the hierarchy is in place and there is a more rigid distance between (what would be in a 1,000-employee firm) a first line manager and the second line manager, followed by a huge gap between the assistant vice president and the vice president for, say, operations.
I have two primary functions: one as a senior, skilled technician and the other as a consultant of sorts. My biggest challenge is to be an effective communicator at every level of the process, something which few of the military members must do. I need to be able to communicate on large-scale, abstract concepts with the Commander and communicate in a detailed, technical environment with the technicians, along with everyone else in between. Should I be tailoring my speech to my listener or working on a one-size-fits-all communication pattern?
Erik
The mark of an effective communicator is the ability to shape a message that “gets through” to people at all levels in an organization. Poor communicators dump data and information and leave their poor listeners to sift through and figure out what the message means for them in their day-to-day jobs.
Information is not communication.
Yet people frequently walk into briefing after briefing with the same set of slides—whether talking to the executive team, the mid-management committee of colleagues, or their staff of implementers. And they wonder why they don’t get approval for their projects, buy-in on plans, or support from their team.
Consider these tips:
- Tailor your core message to the key interest of your audience. Answer this question: How will they use the information? For immediate decision? For later response? To distribute to others? As talking points to “sell your idea” later?
- Decide what they already know about the subject and try not to tell them that.
- Delete extraneous detail.
- Cut the jargon.
When it comes to communication, tuck, trim, tailor. One size definitely does not fit all.
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