68 / BECOMING MORE EFFECTIVE
Communicating
successfully
Communication is about sharing and receiving information through a
variety of channels, from formal presentation to general conversation,
emails, reports, and letters. How you communicate, and the channel
you use, say something about you—so take care!
Knowing your audience
The first lesson in effective communication
is to think about your audience—the people
with whom you are having a conversation, or
who are reading your email or report, or are
listening on the other end of the telephone.
Communication is a two-way process and
your job is to make it easy for them to
understand and focus on what you are
saying or writing. Think about their level
of knowledge of the subject, whether they
are likely to understand technical terms
or jargon you may be using. What is their
particular interest in what you have to say
and what outcomes do you hope to achieve?
○
Keeping it concise but clear
○
Keeping it short, but not abrupt
○
Putting key information in
attachments, not in the main body
of the email
○
Reading your email carefully before
pressing “send”
○
Using sloppy grammar
○
Using too many abbreviations
○
Including so much detail that the
email runs for several pages
○
Copying in others without thinking
about the implications
COMPOSING AN EMAIL
Dos
Don’ts
of employers claimed that
a spelling mistake would
make them instantly reject
an application from a
candidate for a job
61%
COMMUNICATING SUCCESSFULLY / 69
○
You get an immediate
response to your message
○
You can test the reaction
of the other person
○
Personal, so helps build
a relationship
○
No written record of
your discussions
○
You may be calling
at the wrong time,
and may get an
ill-considered response
○
Setting up and attending
meetings takes time
○
The person’s response
to a negative message
may be difficult
to handle
○
Your message will take
time to arrive
○
You will not know if it
has been read
○
You cannot see the
reaction of the recipient
○
You cannot see the
reaction of the recipient
○
The “tone” may be
misinterpreted
○
May have had
insufficient thought
○
Takes time to compile
and write
○
If it is too long, it may
not be read thoroughly
○
Personal contact helps
to build relationships
○
You will be able to gauge
reactions by reading
the body language
of the other person
○
Provides a written record
so may avoid disputes
○
Because fewer letters
are sent now, it makes
your message stand out
○
Instant delivery of
your message
○
Quick to compose and
to send
○
You can get a
quick response
○
The formal structure
helps in constructing
arguments and
presenting evidence
○
You can detail your
thoughts and rationale
CHANNEL ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
Choosing the right communication channel
Telephone
Best used for
delivering good
news or testing
out an idea
quickly
Meeting
Best used for
influencing
people and for
important or
sensitive matters
Letter
Best used for
lengthy and
detailed
information
Email
Best used
for quick,
short messages
and urgent
communication
Report
Best used for
proposals and to
make arguments
with evidence
70 / BECOMING MORE EFFECTIVE
Shaping the content
Whether you are composing an email,
writing a letter, or just speaking to
someone on the telephone, you should
prepare what you are going to say and
how you say it. For something relatively
simple, this may just mean organizing
your thoughts and thinking about the
best way to express them. For a more
complicated or sensitive matter it
may be useful to jot down your ideas
on a piece of paper and see how they
link together; this should help you
structure your message.
Always read what you have written in
an email or letter, to check that it means
what you want to say. For every message
you write, ask yourself:
•
Will my readers understand this?
•
Have I captured their interest?
•
Does this mean what I want it to
mean, and have I gost the tone right?
•
Will this achieve the aim I want?
•
Have I structured my thoughts in
a logical way?
•
Is it well laid out, concise, and
jargon-free, and are the spelling
and grammar correct?
HIT THE RIGHT
LEVEL
Adjust your level
of formality to
match the
individual person,
the organization,
or the culture of
the company or
person you are
communicating
with at the time.
Getting your message right
If you have to present facts
and figures, remember that
visuals are often much
clearer than words
COMMUNICATING SUCCESSFULLY / 71
Writing reports
A report is normally designed to present
facts, figures, and recommendations for
action. The structure, tone, and length
will depend on the purpose. A report on
a serious accident, for example, which
may have legal ramifications, will have
to be more thorough and detailed than,
say, a recommendation to buy a
particular model of printer.
All the essential elements of good
communication apply to the writing of
a report. Keep it concise, without losing
meaning, make it understandable and
interesting to the reader, and make
sure it reflects what you want to say.
If you have to present facts and figures,
remember that visuals are often much
clearer than words.
Always read what you have
written in an email or letter,
to check that it means what
you want to say
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Use short words
and uncomplicated
sentence construction
to aid comprehension—
sending a clear
message will give
the reader a good
impression of you.
BE CONCISE
Don’t use unnecessary
words—they will dilute
your message and may
confuse the reader.
Use “when...”, for
example, rather than
“at a time when...”.
HIGHLIGHT KEY
POINTS
Use bullet points to
help isolate important
points for emphasis,
but avoid using too
many or they will
lose their impact.
CHECK YOUR
PUNCTUATION
Clear punctuation
helps your reader
understand what you
have written, and is
key to delivering a
precise message.
BE DIRECT
Use the active
rather than the
passive voice
to deliver your
message. For
example, say:
“Mr. Skoog took
the machine
away” rather
than “The
machine was
taken away by
Mr. Skoog.”
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