| There are seven essential elements to successful | | | | person is interested in the subject of the message |
| business | | | | they are highly unlikely to pay any attention.Which |
| ancyPrimacy/RecencyPsychological Rule of 7±2If | | | | means that if you force them to attend to your |
| you are going to communicate effectively in business it | | | | message you will actually turn them against you and |
| is essential that you have a solid grasp of these seven | | | | be even less likely to receive their attention in the |
| elements.So let's look at each in turn...1. | | | | future.Save your in-depth budget and performance |
| STRUCTUREHow you structure your communication | | | | analysis Excel-generated charts for those who |
| is fundamental to how easily it is absorbed and | | | | genuinely care and need to know about such things.If |
| understood by your audience.Every good | | | | your business communication needs to touch on |
| communication should have these three structural | | | | several areas that might not be of interest to your |
| elements:an openinga bodya closeThis structural rule | | | | entire audience, let them know of alternative resources |
| holds true no matter what your communication is -- a | | | | that more fully address each of these additional |
| memo, a phone call, a voice mail message, a personal | | | | areas.You can do this by, for example, providing them |
| presentation, a speech, an email, a webpage, or a | | | | with an easily-remembered and written link to a |
| multi-media presentation.Remember - your | | | | webpage where a greater depth of information can |
| communication's audience can be just one person, a | | | | be stored.6. PRIMACY/RECENCYIt is essential to |
| small team, an auditorium full of people or a national, | | | | know that, one week later, a business communication |
| even global, group of millions.In this instance size doesn't | | | | is remembered by one or both of two things:the |
| matter -- the rules remain the same.OpeningAn | | | | power and memorability of its openingthe power and |
| opening allows your communication's audience to | | | | memorability of its closePsychologists call the effect of |
| quickly understand what the communication is | | | | remembering the first few items presented as a |
| about.Short, sharp and to the point, a good opening lets | | | | 'Primacy Effect'. Similarly, they call the effect of |
| your audience quickly reach a decision of whether or | | | | remembering the last few items presented to you as |
| not to pay attention to your message.Time is a | | | | a 'Recency Effect'.Since individuals differ in which |
| precious resource, after all, and the quicker you can | | | | Effect is the most dominant for them, it is best to |
| 'get to the point' and the faster your audience can | | | | 'cover your bases' and make an effort to have both a |
| make that 'disregard/pay attention' decision the more | | | | powerful and memorable opening and a powerful |
| positively they will view you --- which can be VERY | | | | close.A powerful opening can be anything that |
| important if you need or want to communicate with | | | | captures the audience's attention:a quote,a joke,a loud |
| them in the future.BodyHere's where you get to the | | | | noise,a preposterous statement.Just make sure that |
| 'heart' of your message.It is in the body of the | | | | your opening remains consistent with and relates to |
| message that you communicate all of your facts and | | | | the subject of the communication.For example, whilst |
| figures relative to the action you want your | | | | the opening line, "Free Sex is available in the foyer" |
| communication's audience to take after attending to | | | | would no doubt get your audience's attention, if the |
| your message.Keep your facts, figures and any | | | | theme of your communication thereafter is about |
| graphs or charts you might present to the point. Don't | | | | some process re-engineering going on in your |
| bog down your audience with irrelevant material, or | | | | department, your audience would be annoyed (some |
| charts with confusing, illegible numbers and | | | | would be very annoyed at your duplicity. They'd feel |
| colours.--SIDE BAR--There's a key to rapid uptake of | | | | duped!Equally, a powerful close that bears no |
| your message -- KISS.Pitch your presentation's | | | | resemblance to the main body of the communication |
| graphics at a grade seven child. If THEY can follow | | | | would just confuse and disappoint an audience brought |
| and understand them, chances are good that your | | | | up to expect something more.And don't think that |
| audience will too.--END SIDE BAR--CloseThe Close is | | | | humour will save you.Business communication is a |
| where you sum up your communication, remind your | | | | serious business and very few people have the skill to |
| audience of your key points, and leave them with a | | | | be able to deliver a humourous message that the |
| clear understanding of what you want them to do | | | | audience will retain and act upon.A fantastic example |
| next.The more powerfully you can end your | | | | of how humour engaged an audience but failed to elicit |
| communication, the more easily remembered it will be | | | | the desired response is from Jeffrey Robinson's |
| by your audience.2. CLARITYBe clear about the | | | | superb book 'The Manipulators'.One of America's great |
| messaqe you want to deliver, as giving a confused | | | | comedic writers, Stan Freburg, was convinced to |
| message to your audience only ends up with them | | | | dabble in advertising. Deciding that his own agency |
| being confused and your message being ignored.If you | | | | should be called, 'Parsley, Sage , Rosemary and |
| are giving a message about, say, overtime payments | | | | Osborn, a Division of Thyme, Inc.', Freburg created a |
| don't then add in messages about detailed budget | | | | series of incredibly funny adverts. On the strength of |
| issues or the upcoming staff picnic -- UNLESS they | | | | these, he was hired to create an advert for Pacific |
| ABSOLUTELY fit in with your original message.It's far | | | | Southwest Airlines (PSA), forever remembered in the |
| better and clearer for your audience if you create a | | | | annals of advertising as 'White Knuckle Flyer'."He was |
| separate communication about these ancilliary issues.3. | | | | aiming at people who hate to fly and are forever |
| CONSISTENCYNothing more upsets a regular reader | | | | worried that planes crash. To pacify them, he got the |
| of, say, your newsletter than inconsistency of your | | | | airline to hand out security blankets - literally, tiny |
| message.Taking a position on an issue one week, only | | | | blankets with the PSA logo - to any passenger |
| to overturn it the next, then overturn THAT position the | | | | worrying that flying might get them killed. It was |
| following week, only breeds distrust in your | | | | hilarious. And the airline died laughing."Somewhere |
| message.And distrust in you!People who distrust you | | | | between gag writing and all the fun," comments Jerry |
| are exceedingly unlikely to take the action you wish | | | | Della Femina, who was called in by PSA in a panic to |
| them to take. They are also highly unlikely to pay any | | | | undo what Freburg had done because they didn't think |
| attention to your future messages.As well as | | | | they were going to survive him, "someone had to sell |
| consistency amongst multiple messages, be aware | | | | something. The kiss of death in advertising is when you |
| that inconsistency within your message can be just as | | | | make the mistake of falling in love with your own |
| deadly to audience comprehension.At the risk of | | | | words." PSA had succumbed to humour and, unfunnily, |
| sounding like the Grouchy Grammarian, please make | | | | went out of business.As Granville Toogood says in his |
| sure that your tenses remain the same, that your | | | | excellent book 'The Articulate Executive', humour is a |
| viewpoint doesn't wander between the 1st and 3rd | | | | very risky strategy. If you are determined to use |
| person and back again (unless you deliberately want | | | | humour in your presentation, then please follow |
| to create a linguistic or story-telling effect - be careful | | | | Toogood's recommendation:Tell the story as if it were |
| with this!) and that your overall 'theme' or message | | | | true. The punch line is a lot funnier if we aren't |
| doesn't change.4. MEDIUMIf the only tool you have in | | | | expecting itTell the story to make a business point. If |
| your toolbag is a hammer, pretty soon everything | | | | you don't make a point, you have no business telling a |
| starts to look like a nail.Similarly, if all you believe you | | | | jokeMake sure you tell the story correctly, don't mess |
| have as a communications tool is PowerPoint then | | | | up the punch line, and make sure it's appropriate.The |
| pretty soon all you'll do is reduce very communications | | | | opening and closing of your business communication |
| opportunity to a PowerPoint presentation. And as any | | | | are the two most easily remembered and therefore |
| of us who have sat through one too many boring | | | | essential elements. Make sure you give your audience |
| slideshows will attest, "seen one, seen 'em all."There | | | | something to remember.7. THE PSYCHOLOGICAL |
| are a myriad of was you can deliver your message - | | | | RULE OF 7±2 (seven plus or minus two) |
| the trick is to use the right one.Which is the right | | | | Psychologists have long known that the human brain |
| one?The one that communicates your message:with | | | | has a finite capacity to hold information in short-term or |
| the greatest accuracywith the largest likelihood of | | | | 'working' memory.Equally, the brain is also structured to |
| audience comprehensionat the lowest fiscal costat the | | | | retain information in 'clusters' or groups of items.These |
| lowest time costNote: it must meet all of these criteria. | | | | clusters or groups average, across the whole of |
| There's absolutely no value in spending the least | | | | mankind, at seven items, plus or minus two.Which |
| amount of money if the medium you choose doesn't | | | | means that your audience is only able to hold on to |
| deliver on any of the other criteria.So what media are | | | | between five and nine pieces of information at any |
| available? You have a choice from any one or | | | | one time. Similarly, your audience will group your |
| combination of the following:* paper-based memo | | | | business communication's message with between four |
| * letter | | | | and eight other messages in their long-term |
| * one-to-one face-to-face presentation | | | | memory.Now do you see the importance of clarity of |
| * seminar | | | | message and of having a distinctive and memorable |
| * one-to-one phone presentation | | | | opening and close?If you want your key points to be |
| * meeting | | | | remembered even five minutes later, it is essential that |
| * one-to-many personal presentation | | | | you limit your business communication to between just |
| * plain text email | | | | five and nine key points.Equally, if you want your key |
| * one-to-many phone presentation | | | | action points to be remembered five weeks later, |
| * text + graphics email | | | | ensure that your communication is amongst the five to |
| * voice email | | | | nine most memorable messages your audience has |
| * webpage | | | | attended to in the last five weeks.The human brain |
| * webcast/webvideo | | | | 'chunks' information together, so if you have a long |
| * radio broadcast | | | | document or communication that you want to deliver, |
| * television broadcast | | | | especially on paper, then structure your document so |
| * press release | | | | that you have:7±2 'chapters' or sections7±2 |
| * tv/film commercial | | | | sub-sections in each sectionIf you find that you end up |
| * cd-rom/dvdChoosing the right medium or media is | | | | with 10 or 11 sub-headings in a chapter, or sub-sections |
| obviously critical, as the fiscal costs of some in the | | | | in a section, see if you are able to either consolidate |
| above list are higher than others. Get the media mix | | | | two or three sub-sections in to, or create a new main |
| wrong and you could end up spending a whole lot of | | | | section out of them.CONCLUSION... There are seven |
| time and money on a very visually attractive business | | | | essential elements to successful business |
| communication that delivers next-to-zero ROI (return | | | | ancyPrimacy/RecencyRule of 7±2If you are |
| on investment).5. RELEVANCYIt never ceases to | | | | going to communicate effectively in business it is |
| amaze me that business managers still believe that | | | | essential that you have a solid grasp of these seven |
| everyone would be interested in their message-and | | | | elements. |
| then proceed to subject any and everyone they can | | | | When you match consumer psychology with |
| find to a horrendous PowerPoint slideshow put | | | | effective communication |
| together by a well-meaning but aesthetically-challenged | | | | styles you get a powerful combination. Lee Hopkins |
| subordinate.Screen-after-screen of lengthy text, in a | | | | can show you |
| small barely legible font size (because a small font size | | | | how to communicate better for better business |
| is the only way to fit all of the words onto the slide), | | | | results. At |
| which the manager duly and dully reads | | | | you can find the |
| verbatim.Ugh!The psychological reality is that unless a | | | | secrets to communication success. |