President's Letter: Short and Sweet

In this month's Foraker enewsletter, Dennis McMillian talks about the value of "short, simple and articulate expressions." Here are the “top ten” rules for effective communication passed on to him from his mentor 30 years ago:

1. Deliver the message in three-to-five minutes, then be quiet – this is what is now known as the “elevator speech.”

2. Once the message is delivered, wait for questions. If there are no questions, assume the message has been heard or no further information is required.

3. If there is a question, then respond briefly and see if the response answered the question.

4. Always remember that most times no one wants to know as much about your issue as you know and want to tell them.

5. People prefer hearing stories that make the message real. They glaze over with statistics.

6. People respond better to simple, clear language with little or no jargon.

7. People prefer that you listen to them much more than they want to listen to you. So when you speak – pause and watch for signals that the other person is interested. Ask that person a question to start a conversation. If it appears they are losing interest, then be quiet.

8. It’s best not to assume another’s politics or values.

9. If they share their values with you, it does not necessarily mean they want you to share your values or politics with them.

10. People that don’t speak are never heard. Those who speak too much are rarely heard.

Read the full article. And you can access past Foraker newsletters on The Foraker Group's web site.

What are your best tips for delivering your organization's messages?